A Champion and A King
by Kaceyyyuhhh
Summary: Sarah is not the brave girl she used to be. Nightmares of those 13 hours she spent in the Labyrinth torture her mind. Sarah needs magic in her life now more than ever. Can the Goblin King bring back the champion in her, or will the nightmares just bring her more self doubt? / This is for you, Mr. David Bowie. Thanks for the magic. Rest in peace, Spaceman.
1. Chapter 1: A Wish Away

**Author's note**

 **I've been keeping this story for myself for awhile now. I've got 3 chapters written, and I honestly wasn't going to upload this quite yet. But the passing of the great David Bowie sort of pushed me to do it. We will all miss him, but I think Jareth will keep him alive in our hearts. Never stop writing, Labyrinth fans.**

 **Much love, Kacey**

* * *

Chapter 1

Sarah has always felt like there was something missing in her life. Ever since she was fifteen she's struggled with a void inside her. That's when all the trouble started.

Through all of the therapy sessions, medication, and even fortune telling, she could never fill the void in her life. In her heart.

As warm water hit her back, Sarah looked down at her feet as water pooled around them. The warm water caressed her like a warm hug she desperately needed but could never have. As she stood there in the shower, she contemplated her life up to that point.

She started getting the nightmares when she was fifteen. They were so bad that she would start screaming in the middle of the night. She would even be afraid to sleep some nights, forcing herself to stay awake just so she wouldn't have to go through a night of terrifying slumber. Visions of goblins would dance in her head and the fear of losing her baby brother Toby haunted her. The dreams were vaguely different each time, but one thing always remained constant: the recurring image of a man with long blonde hair, twirling crystals in his hands, smirking at her with mismatched eyes. The man gave her a feeling of unease, yet at the same time she felt comforted when she met him in her dreams.

Her parents were very worried about her. Sarah wasn't getting any sleep, and with her nightly screams, neither were they. They sent her to therapy sessions to help her find the root of her night terrors, to maybe find some relief. But when Sarah tried to tell her therapist of her adventure in the labyrinth and the Goblin King, he dismissed it as "just a dream" due to an event in her past. After being told this many times she started to believe it.

A year later, Sarah was falling into a state of depression. Acting ceased to give her pleasure and she couldn't find the energy to play with Toby or Merlin anymore. The once hard-headed, confident, adventurous girl was now an empty husk of the former, scaring her loved ones around her.

Her psychiatrist started prescribing her medication for her depression at the young age of seventeen. But her loneliness only increased as the memories of that fateful night started to slip from her mind. How rough Hoggle's voice was, the softness of Ludo's fur, the sharp bark of Sir Didymus. Even the cruel, handsome face of her Goblin King was starting to fade as she attended more therapy sessions and took more and more pills. Until finally the labyrinth was but a faint memory in the back of her mind.

For seven years she's felt so lonely, sad, and just numb. No amount of Zoloft could fill the dark, empty hole in her heart.

So, Sarah stood there in her steaming shower, staring at her tub floor, water falling over her head, which was racing, trying with all of her might to retrieve missing memories of those thirteen hours of adventure and conquest. Because for some reason, whenever she tried to think of them, she didn't feel so alone for once.

And suddenly at that very moment those words were on the tip of her tongue, and if she were to not speak them right away she would explode. She trembled as she spoke, the words coming to her as if she were reading them right from that little red book she would rehearse from.

Her hand wiped the water from her forehead and kept it there, as if trapping the words in her mind, as she parted her lips to recite.

"I can bare it no longer..." she whispered, the sound of the shower almost drowning her out. "Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be..." She threw her head back, closing her eyes and letting the water soak her hair. She paused then, thinking of what else to say.

What was she doing? Who was she calling out for? And why? _To put some magic back in my life,_ she thought. She found her right words forming in her head. _It's silly,_ she chastised herself. _But if a silly thought could help me escape from this life, even just for the amount of time these words pass my lips, it would be worth it._

 _"_ Take me far away from this life of loneliness, anti-depression pills, and utter sadness." Sarah didn't even notice the hot tears bubbling from her closed eyes and running down her already damp face. "If you _are_ real," she whispered, trying to choke down tears. "I just need the magic back in my life."

As she stood there in the steaminess, she waited for something, anything to happen. She stood there a few minutes, until she realized how hopeless she really was. "Figures," she sighed, turning the shower off.

Sarah wiped her cheeks with her towel trying to rid herself of her tears that reminded her just how sad she was. She stepped out of the shower, towel wrapped around her torso, and wrung her hair out over the sink. She glided her hand over the mirror, clearing the fog from it and revealing Sarah's reflection.

She examined herself. At age twenty-two, she was definitely not the same fifteen year old girl that ran the labyrinth and won. No, she was not the sparkling green doe-eyed girl with confidence that could slay any king. The reflection that stared back at her lacked sleep and happiness. Dark circles formed around her dull green eyes that were once full of life, now also puffy and red rimmed from sobbing.

Her hair was now a little below shoulder length, due to one of her panicked breakdowns during freshman year of college when she realized she was not the courageous girl she thought she was, to be able to go away for college alone. She cut off most of her hair in a jagged, panicked way that left it in a chopped up disarray. She had it fixed soon after that, but she was sent home after her episode. Her dorm RA claimed her to be dangerous to the other girls, frightening everyone when she ran out of her room with scissors in her hand, sobbing uncontrollably, and yelling "I am not the champion I used to be!"

Sarah kept to herself even more after being sent home. She enrolled at the university in her hometown where her family could keep an eye on her and help her with her condition. Nobody knew what she meant by "champion", but assumed it was just some of her crazy talk, like labyrinths, goblins, and kings. But Sarah was perfectly sane and knew what she was doing. The Sarah that was cunning and courageous, that beat the Goblin King, was not the Sarah she saw in the mirror. So, she fixed it.

Now the Sarah that looked back at her matched the Sarah she felt like on the inside.

After brushing both her teeth and wet hair, Sarah walked out of the warm steaminess of her bathroom and into the chilled apartment hallway. Towel still around her torso, she padded down the hall to the only bedroom door in the tiny apartment.

Looking down, she made her way to her vanity dresser and slid open the first drawer. She picked up some plain black panties, closing the drawer and looking up into the mirror. What she saw in the reflection behind her made her shriek.

A man with long blonde hair wearing lavish, sparkling clothes sat upon her bed, eyeing her with a smirk. Those mismatched eyes…she could spot those a mile away.

Knees shaking, she whirled around to face him. "Y-You..." she stuttered, trying to take a step back but instead bumping into her dresser, index finger pointing at the man. "It's you! They thought I was crazy! Unless..." she trailed off, looking down, her finger lowering. "Unless this is just a hallucination, like they said." She looked back up at him, his mismatched eyes that were filled with mischief before now filled with pity and his smirk now replaced with a frown. Sarah shook her head. "No, you can't be real. You're not real! Magic and goblins do not exist!" Her voice started to raise, but when she noticed she quickly stopped talking. She didn't want another mishap with her neighbors about noise.

"Sarah," the man finally spoke, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm as real as you are. And as real as the memories you try to repress."

Sarah's eye widened at his words. "If you're real, then..." she whispered to herself. "No!" She shouted. "You're out of luck, because Toby isn't here, so you can't have him! You can't take him again."

The blonde haired man laughed a hearty laugh, throwing his head back. "Oh Sarah, now why would I take your baby brother when nobody has wished him away? No, I'm here to take something far more precious to me." A familiar sparkle in his eye made Sarah's heart jump.

Sarah slowly looked him in the eye. Those familiar mismatched orbs that felt so threatening yet more comforting than her dog's. "What is that?"

"You are the one that called upon me, Sarah, but moments ago. I am only here to grant your wish." He stood, towering over her.

Sarah gulped down a lump forming in her throat and tightened her hands around her towel. "What?" she said almost breathlessly. And then it hit her. She did call upon him. In her moment of weakness and utter loneliness, she called upon her villain to kidnap her. "Oh shit," she said in realization, sliding to the floor, her back against the cold dresser.

"I didn't mean it," she tried to convince him.

"Sarah, what's said is said," he said to her in a teasing voice, folding his arms in front of him.

She looked up at him with frightened green eyes. "What will happen to me? I can't run the Labyrinth for myself, can I?"

The man shook his head. "No, you cannot Sarah. No defense against yourself, that sort of thing. You wished yourself away, now it's time to reap what you sow."

"I didn't know I was reaping anything, Jareth-" she gasped at the sound of that name coming from her voice. She didn't even know she remembered it. She looked up at him with wide green eyes. Suddenly a flood of memories came to her. She remembered Hoggle saying his name only once to her, but her entire time in the Labyrinth she had only called him 'Goblin King'. "How?"

Jareth raised an eyebrow. "How what, Sarah?"

"How do I now suddenly remember things from that day?"

Jareth smirked, kneeling down to her on the floor. "Come with me and you'll find out." He held out his gloved hand, clad in black leather.

Sarah eyed his hand suspiciously and weighed the pros and cons. _Think, Sarah. Don't get roped into something you can't get out of. What if he takes you and you never get to come back?_ Sarah sighed. _But...why would I want to come back? Sure there's Toby, but besides him there's no reason at all for me to live this life. There's school...but it gives me no joy whatsoever. Nothing in my life gives me joy at all. I'm so alone here, so what's the problem with just leaving everything behind?_ Sarah steeled herself, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I need a promise, Goblin King," she said with valor.

"And here I thought we were on a first name basis." Jareth muttered. "What is your proposition, Sarah?"

"You can take me, but I stay by my terms. I wished myself away, I should have say on when I can leave." Sarah suddenly realized what she was saying. _Are you mad?! Speaking to a magical goblin king like that? He could dump you into the Bog of Eternal Stench! Or worse, have your limbs torn off by goblins._ She looked him in the eyes. She didn't know why, but she felt trust and comfort in them. Like she had known him all her life. _And what's so wrong with mad? I've been treated like a mad woman for eight years now, I've earned the right to be just a little mad as everyone claims me to be._

So, Sarah scrambled to her feet, towel still clutched tightly around her. Jareth did the same, looking down at her. "What do you say to that, Jareth?"

Jareth stroked his chin, contemplating. _Just who does she think she is? Telling me, a Fae king, what to do. She is lucky she's my champion, or I'd throw her straight into the Bog of Eternal Stench. "_ Agreed. But only if you do as I say when we arrive. You will be staying in _my_ castle, after all." He smirked, holding out his hand once again.

Sarah glanced at his hand once more and back into his intimidating yet reassuring eyes. For some reason she felt attached to him, very more so than the first time they met. He was supposed to be the bad guy, yet why did she feel so attracted to him? And trusting! She trusted him way more than the therapist she had known since she was fifteen. For some reason she felt like she could talk to him about anything.

Sarah took a deep breath in and steeled herself. "Agreed," she stopped herself from saying anything more when she realized that she was still in only a towel, hair dripping wet. "But could you wait here while I get dressed?"

Jareth chuckled and folded his arms in front of him once again. "I'll be waiting, Sarah."

Sarah tucked her underwear under her arm and grabbed a t-shirt and shorts from her drawers and ducked back into her bathroom. Once she was in the safety of her bathroom once more, she locked the door and melted to the floor.

Her bare butt plopped onto the cold, hard tile floor. She looked down, her head spinning. _What the hell am I doing?_ She asked herself, still in shock over the events that just occurred in her bedroom. _Let's see, I'm letting my old childhood villain who has been haunting my dreams take me back to his castle where he held captive my baby brother while I desperately tried to get him back, all while maneuvering an ever changing labyrinth with goblins and other creatures trying to sabotage me the entire way, plus being poisoned by a rotten magical peach that made me trip the fuck out._

Still, Sarah mustered up the strength to pull herself up off the floor. She turned to look at herself in the mirror once again. She squared her shoulders and furrowed her brow. And for a moment, she looked like her former self. All the confidence of a young girl with a big mouth and a plucky attitude.

"This is your chance, Williams," she told her reflection. "To flee this dull and miserable life already." With that in mind, she dropped her towel and pulled her R.E.M. band t-shirt on and old gym shorts from high school, now maybe a bit too short for her.

She stepped out of the bathroom finally, after ten minutes of trying to convince herself to go through with her decision. But she had made a deal with the Goblin King, and there was no way she was going to get away so easily if she were to just change her mind. No, there was no getting out of this no matter what.

* * *

 **Don't forget to review! I won't update until I know that this story will be successful!**


	2. Chapter 2: What Dreams Are Made Of

**Here's chapter 2! I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 2

When she stepped into her room, she found Jareth lying on her bed, ankles crossed, one hand behind his head and the other reading one of her literature books for school. To be more specific, it was British Literature of the eighteenth century. She wondered how he could possibly read something so boring for leisure while he waited.

Sarah padded across the room, grabbing a duffle bag from under her bed and started to stuff some clothes into it. All the while she made glimpses at the king in her bed, completely unperturbed as he turned the page and continued to read as if he wasn't about to whisk her away to some far off land of magical beasts and castles. When she was done packing, she stood before him, clearing her throat slightly. And when that didn't catch his attention, "Umm…"

He held up a leather clad finger to her as he continued to read.

Sarah gaped at the Fae, dropping her bag to the floor. "Are you fucking serious right now?" She raised an eyebrow at him when he didn't respond. She scoffed, not believing what was going on. "Great, the one person I can rely on to listen to me and he's ignoring me for a boring textbook."

Jareth's icy blue orbs side-eyed her as he slowly lowered the book. "Sarah, this world's literature is quite…intriguing. But this _Lanval_ fellow is a fool. Why would he tell them of his lover when he knew the consequences of not being with her afterwards?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I haven't even read that one, so I have no idea what you are talking about, Goblin King." She picked up her bag once again and rested the strap on her shoulder. "May we _please_ go now?"

Realizing that he had been carried away, he tucked the book under his arm and stood with Sarah. "The labyrinth awaits you, Sarah," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"And I await it," Sarah said, gaining an ounce of courage she once had.

With a rush of wind swirling around them, Sarah felt like she was falling. Her stomach lurched and her heart jumped out of her chest. She squeezed her eyelids shut tightly and held onto the Goblin King, her arms finding their way wrapped around his torso. She did not open her eyes until her feet touched solid ground again.

When she was sure that her feet were firmly planted on the ground, she opened her eyes. Silvery glitter particles floated about her field of vision for a moment, and she felt nausea waving over her. She let out a groan, blinking fast to clear her vision of the shimmer.

Noticing her groan, Jareth wrapped his arm around Sarah's torso for more stability. "Sarah, everything's going to be alright. This happens on everyone's first try."

Sarah's head throbbed and felt light headed. The room was spinning. When she heard Jareth's voice, she looked up into his face, which was full of worry. His face was the only thing not spinning so she tried focusing on it. Until she realized she was still holding onto his torso tightly and that his arm was firmly on her waist as well. With heated cheeks she reeled in her arms. But the sudden movement made the whole earth spin her around. She fell on her bottom, flinching on impact on the hard stone floor. With another groan, she pressed her hands against her eyes.

Kneeling to her, Jareth cradled her in his arms and gently picked her up. "I'm…sorry about that. It has been awhile since I've transported a mortal by my means of transportation."

Sarah shook her head. The dizziness was starting to fade as soon as she was picked up off the floor, but she still felt as though she would puke. Her green orbs looked up and into the mismatched ones of the man carrying her. All of this was starting to get to her. She opened her mouth to say something, but blackness covered her vision, and she went limp in the arms of the Goblin King.

"Sarah?" Jareth shook her tenderly in his arms. He sighed, looking at her face, resting gently on his shoulder. "What am I going to do with you, my precious?" He started toward the room she would be staying in at the castle beyond the Goblin City.

Entering the room, he crossed over to the bed and gently placed her on the silk sheets. Her head fell softly onto the down feather pillows, her face serene.

He sat on the edge of the bed next to her, admiring her face that has changed so much since their last encounter. Dark circles around her eyes were quite prominent, he doubted even makeup could cover them. She had two tiny pimples, one on her cheek and the other on her chin. Stress from school, no doubt. Her chopped hair splayed over the green silk pillow case had hundreds of split ends.

After all that has changed about her, he still found her to be the most beautiful girl he's ever laid eyes upon. Adulthood has been cruel to Sarah, but the rejection Jareth faced from her had him in shambles for years. If only she could've seen him after that day. Why, he looked worse than she did now. He couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. He was an entire mess without her. He was so sure before she won that she would take his offer and stay with him in his castle forever. But when she said those words, and he fell from power, his heart was broken, and it has been since. And watching Sarah fall apart all the years afterward pulverized his heart into dust even more.

But when he felt the pulling of her words that day, her wish for him to take her, his heart felt alive for the first time in eight years. He almost couldn't believe it. Sitting there, his leg draped over his royal thrown, watching her in his crystal orb as he always did. He would never watch her in the shower, but this moment was an exception. When he heard her words, he first couldn't believe it. No, she wouldn't say it. She's not going to say it…

 _She said it._

And in a flash, he was whisked away by Sarah's wish, and as he stood there, waiting in Sarah's new bedroom in her new apartment, his heart felt like it was finally beating again.

And then she walked in.

A sight to behold, dripping and beaded with water, wrapped in a white towel. The first thing he noticed was her shorter hair. Of course he had watched the event happen when it was first cropped. And then when she went to a hair dresser to fix her mistakes. He held his breath as her back was to him. And when she finally made eye contact with him in the mirror, he couldn't help but smile.

It was Sarah. It was really her. She wasn't just an image in his crystal anymore. She had materialized herself before his eyes. His champion, once again in his presence. And now she was lying there in his guest chamber's bed, fainted, he guessed, from shock over the whole experience. He couldn't blame her. He could hardly believe it either.

He cupped her cheek in his leather-gloved hand. It was flush still. He was sure she'd be alright until the morning but, to be sure, he figured he'd stay by her side here until he was for certain.

He sat by her side in bed, reading the book he had taken from her room. The story he read was about a knight, beautiful and envied by the rest of the king's court. While out on a stroll in the meadows, he is taken by two ladies who say that they will take him to their mistress who says she is in love with him. Taken to a lavish tent, inside Lanval the knight is greeted by the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. He spends some time with her, making love and enjoying each other. When it is time for him to leave, the woman tells him that he must never tell anyone of her, or he will lose her forever. But if he wishes to see her again, he only needs to think of a pure place and they will be together again.

Later that year, he is approached by his king's queen. She confesses her desire for him and wishes to have an affair with him. Lanval gently declines the queen, saying that he is loyal to his king and would never do such a thing. Angered, the queen accuses him of being homosexual. In a rage, Lanval tells her that he is in love with a beautiful woman, more beautiful than the queen. Because of this, he can no longer see his maiden again.

Jareth stopped reading. Beside him, Sarah started twitching in her sleep. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and her brow furrowed. Her body was tense, curled up into a ball. Jareth sighed, placing the book down. He knew he shouldn't meddle with her dreams, but seeing her in the midst of a nightmare made his heart break.

Producing a crystal, he could see exactly what Sarah was dreaming.

Blackness. Four black walls surrounded Sarah as she stood there in darkness. The only thing she could see was a white door. A beacon of light in her world of darkness. There in front of her, just a few feet away stood the white door. She tried running toward the door, but her legs felt like two heavy bags full of sand. She could barely lift one leg at all.

In her struggle to move forward, she used up all her energy and fell to the black floor. She felt tears starting to prick at the sides of her eyes. She started to bawl on the floor, her tears turning black when they hit the ground. But her tears dried up, and fear took control as soon as she heard someone behind her.

Sarah turned, still on the floor, to see a Fiery standing there just a few feet in front of her. It's big, red eyes burned into her as it just stared. Finally, after what seemed like forever, it started to laugh. Starting out a low chuckle, it grew louder and louder, until the room boomed with its menacing cackle. Sarah covered her ears, trying to make the noise go away. The Fiery opened its mouth and boomed at her, "TAKE OFF YOUR HEAD!"

Sarah screamed, picking herself up off the floor and turned to run again. But this time, instead of her legs feeling heavy, she ran in slow motion. Looking back, the Fiery's big, bulging eyes followed her. It had taken off its head, leaving the body limp on the ground. It flapped its ears to follow her. Sarah shrieked again, dropping to the floor, cowering. The head dropped to the floor with her.

In a deep voice, it said once again, "Take…off…your…head..." But it was slowed down, like its voice was recorded and someone was slowing it. Suddenly the head started to melt. A red and orange goop sat there before Sarah's feet, its red eyes still intact, glowing up at her.

Panicked, Sarah picked herself up again and tried crawling to the door. But no matter what, the door was still far away. As she continued to crawl, she heard familiar voices.

"Sarah…" Hoggle's voice called to her. "Why didn't you just call?"

"Yes, m'lady," Sir Didymus' voice said. "If you were so distraught, why didn't you call?"

Sarah was sobbing once again. The sound of her friends' voices was heart breaking. "I didn't know…" she whispered to herself between sobs as she continued to crawl.

"Sarah…no more sad," came the gruff yet soft voice of Ludo. Ludo, her gentle beast. His sad, kind voice made her heart swell and tears flow more.

"Hoggle…Didymus…Ludo…" Sarah collapsed on the ground, too exhausted to move any more. She looked up at the white door, it was slipping farther and farther away. She let out another cry of anguish. "I am so sorry…I didn't just call…"

Jareth couldn't stand to watch Sarah's nightmare any longer. The heart-wrenching sadness that Sarah felt made him ache for her. Looking over at her sleeping face, he saw a tear slip out from her shut eye and roll down her cheek. Jareth wiped the tear away with his gloved finger.

He could stop these nightmares. He could end this torture for her. With just one crystal, he could send dreams of wonder and delight. But it was against the rules. It was against the Fae law for him to mess with a mortal's dreams. Jareth was in a pickle. Either continue to watch the girl he loves suffer, or take it away and face the consequences himself.

 _Not the time to be selfish,_ Jareth thought. He called upon another crystal. In the palm of his hand, he simply blew on it, sending it floating toward the sleeping Sarah. When it made contact with Sarah's forehead, it popped like a bubble. Her face relaxed, along with the rest of her body, and she sighed in her sleep.

Jareth smiled to himself. "Sweet dreams, precious," he whispered to her, pulling a strand of hair away from her face.

* * *

 **I have decided that I will only update if I get enough reviews. With that being said, if you want this story to continue, review!**


	3. Chapter 3: Brunch With A King

**Author's Note**

 **I just want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for all of the wonderful reviews. This is the most reviews I've ever gotten on a story! Keep them coming and I'll keep the chapters coming.**

* * *

Sarah stretched sleepily, feeling the cool silk sheets beneath her body. She turned over, feeling the coolness touch her cheek and she couldn't help herself but smile. The pillow was just perfect for her, fluffy but supportive. The mattress that held her felt as though it cradled her every curve. Suddenly she heard a clinking sound. This was not right.

Sarah's eye opened, seeing sunlight pouring in through huge open windows. Quickly, she propped herself up on an elbow and examined the room she was in. This was definitely not her apartment. This was definitely not her overly-firm mattress with itchy, too-hot quilt blankets. She looked up at the ceiling. Grey stone made up the entire room, and an elaborate crystal chandelier hung precariously above her. The room around her was huge, probably bigger than her whole apartment. Two windows brought light into the room, sheer silk curtains parted and blowing slightly with the wind.

"Ah, good morning, dearie!"

Sarah jumped at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. She looked up and noticed a wrinkly old woman in a long, white linen smock and a dusty red apron over it. She had a gentle face, a warm smile spread over it. Her eyes were like little slits from smiling so hard. In her hands she held a silver tray with a tea kettle, cup, and a plate with a pastry on it. The woman hovered over to the bed and placed the tray on top of it.

Sarah ran her fingers through her hair warily as she eyed the old woman. "H-Hi…" she managed to say.

The woman paused for a second, then chuckled at her. "Oh dearie, no need to be so shaken up. King Jareth has sent me to be your personal maid. Name's Griselda, but people 'round here normally call me Zelda. I'll answer to either. I'm the head housekeeper, but King Jareth has entrusted me to take care of you." The old woman scurried over to Sarah's duffle bag, which was tossed to the floor. She set it on the bed and opened it, laying her clothes on the bed and smoothing out the wrinkles with a meticulous hand.

Straying away from what Griselda was doing, Sarah laid eyes on the pastry that sat on the polished silver plate. Her stomach growled quite loudly in response and her mouth started to water.

Griselda let out a hearty laugh. "Sounds like you 'aven't eaten in years! Poor girl, well eat up then! Go on, let me just poor you some tea." She reached for the kettle and poured the hot liquid into the cup. "Would you like one lump of sugar or two?"

"Two, please," Sarah responded. As the lady stirred the tea, Sarah also had something else that was gnawing at her. When she woke up, she felt refreshed. She hasn't felt like that in… actually she didn't even think she ever woke up refreshed. She doesn't even remember having any nightmares. It was the first night she slept comfortably in years.

Sarah snapped out of her deep reverie when Griselda presented her cup of tea to her. "'Ere you are, dearie. Drink up, and that sweet will go perfectly with it, it will. 'Ave the best pastry chefs in the land." The old woman gave her a bright smile when Sarah perked up from sipping the tea. "I shall go inform the King that you've awakened. That is, if he's awake yet. It's the first time in years since he's had a decent night's rest. Had to escort him back to his bedroom last night after dozing off right next to ya!"

Sarah almost choked on her tea. She started sputtering and coughing, setting down the cup to make sure not to spill it.

"Careful! You alright?" Griselda asked with concern.

When Sarah finally composed herself she nodded. "Sorry, but you said Jareth was asleep in this bed? Next to me?"

Griselda gave a cheeky grin. "He said he wanted to make sure you were alright." After giving her a wink, she walked off toward the double doors. "I shall inform the King that you've awakened."

As soon as Griselda left the room. Sarah felt her heart race. She stuffed the pastry in her mouth quickly and chugged the hot tea, burning her throat in a soothing way. She climbed out of bed, her bare feet landing on the cold stone floor. She quickly removed her pajamas and put on the clothes Griselda laid out for her.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, she paused. _Wait, what am I doing?_ Sarah thought, zipping up her blue jeans. _Why am I getting all nervous for?_ She fell back onto the plush bed and stared up at the ceiling, her stomach doing flips. _There's no need to be anxious over Jareth. I mean, sure he looks kind of scary but I've faced him before and defeated him. He has no reason to threaten me now._ Sarah furrowed her brow. _So if he doesn't threaten me, what is this anxious feeling I have?_

In the King's chambers, Jareth was sleeping soundly. It was the first night since Sarah's overpowerment that he could finally get a decent night's sleep. With the covers tossed, half covering him, the sunlight shone through the windows, beating down on his lithe exposed chest. His platinum hair splayed around the pillows like a halo.

Nothing could ruin this perfect slumber. Except the grand double doors being thrown open.

As soon as the doors made their loud groaning creaks as they were opened, Jareth let out a groan as well. He threw his arm over his eyes and tried to make whoever it was disappear. But just a second later his silk sheets were pulled away from his body, making him come to terms that his kingly duties were more important than sleep.

"Morning, your highness!" Griselda beamed, wearing her usual grin and jovial eyes. She folded the sheets she tore from the bed and rested them on her shoulder. "Got a big day ahead of you! As if you never have big days, you're a king for heaven's sake!" She laughed heartily, pushing the tray trolley that sat a kettle and teacup upon it. "Let's see – you've got a high council meeting at twelve-thirty, a stack of papers to sign off on your desk that need to be signed before six today, a meeting with all the chicken farmers at five, dinner as always will be at seven, and before everything you will be having brunch with the new company at ten-thirty." She poured a hot cup of tea and held it out for Jareth. "You get all that?"

Jareth waved the old woman away after taking the cup. "Of course, woman, I've been king for how many centuries?"

Griselda sighed reminiscently. "But I can still remember the day you weren't but a young prince of one-hundred twenty years old! Just a wee babe, you were." Griselda looked off into the distance, remembering fondly the young blonde-headed boy she used to take care of. "It's hard not to take care of you, ya' know?"

Jareth almost choked on his tea when he remembered but Griselda said. "Brunch with Sarah at ten-thirty?" He looked up at the clock hung on the wall beside his bed. "It's ten o'clock now!"

Griselda smiled. "I wanted the both of you to get your rest in."

Jareth shot up from bed, handing his cup of tea to the old housekeeper. "Where is Sarah?" he said as he went over to his wardrobe.

"I reckon still in her bedchambers. I figured you would want to walk to the dining hall together." She set the cup back on the tray and assisted Jareth with clothing himself.

"Gods, woman, I can dress myself," Jareth said, snatching the white flowy shirt from the woman and pulling it over his head.

Griselda bowed her head apologetically. "'M sorry, your highness." She ducked to the doors and quietly said, "I'll inform the lass that you'll be arriving in her room soon."

As soon as Griselda left, Jareth felt guilty for snapping at her. He sighed, shaking his head. _No, Zelda needs to understand that I am the king now, not just that little boy she used to care for. I deserve respect._

When Griselda entered Sarah's room, she had already brushed her teeth and combed her hair. "Why, what a nice young lady you've become since I first saw you this morning! Hair sticking out every which-way, slobber crusted on the corner of your mouth. Though, those clothes aren't very becoming of a lady such as yourself."

Sarah looked down at what she was wearing. Baggy acid wash jeans with holes in the knees, an old white V-neck t-shirt, and a blue flannel shirt with some Doc Martens. It was what all the cool people were wearing now. "It's, uh, grunge…" she mumbled, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear.

Griselda smiled warmly. "Well, whatever it is I'm sure the King will like you in it."

Sarah straightened up, her heart pounding. "Wh-why would you say that? I mean, I don't care what he thinks, anyway."

The old woman smirked knowingly. "His highness will be in at any second to escort you to the dining hall for brunch, m' dear." As she was walking out, Jareth appeared in the doorway, looking disheveled, like he had just woken up and thrown on some clothes.

"Ah, here he is now." Griselda raised an eyebrow at Jareth and smiled. "Behave yourselves now, I'll be seeing myself to my housework." She slipped past him, leaving the two to be alone in the room.

Sarah stood there, cheeks ablaze from the brazen housekeeper.

Jareth stepped into the room now. Seeing Sarah refreshed more than ever gave him relief. "How was your sleep, Sarah?"

"It was…" she furrowed her brows. "Actually good. For the first time in, like, ever." She crossed her legs as she stood, trying not to seem uncomfortable. "So, Griselda told me that you…stayed with me…to, uh…" she pointed over to the bed behind her with her thumb.

"Ah, yes, I just wanted to be sure that you were alright. You fainted soon after we arrived at the castle." Jareth stated bluntly.

"And you fell asleep here too?"

Jareth gave out a small cough. That, he didn't want her to know. "It was late…"

Sarah bit down on her lip, nodding. She was taking this tidbit quite better than what Jareth had expected. He had somewhat expected a myriad of insults and threats. But that was the old Sarah, and he had to remember to treat her like the new Sarah she was.

"Shall we to the dining hall now? I know the last food you ate here was a bit…unpleasant, but I assure you my chefs only serve the finest cuisine." He held out his arm for her to take.

Sarah hesitated. _Food I ate last…_ she pondered. _The…peach?_ A lightbulb went off in her head as she remembered the charmed peach and the whimsical dream of dancing at an extravagant ball filled with eclectic people in goblin masks. That gorgeous ball gown, her brunette tresses adorned with silver and as big as her dress sleeves. And she remembered dancing closely with the Goblin King himself as he serenaded her as the other guests watched in amazement. She felt so captivated by his eyes; those blue mismatched orbs that burned into her.

Sarah felt her face heat up. "Oh, uh, yeah…the peach thing…" she mumbled trying to pull her words together. "Let's go now, yeah?" She quickly took his arm and rushed out the door, dragging Jareth along.

The dining room was extravagant. The long mahogany table was adorned with different sized candles and each plush seat was upholstered in navy blue velvet. Fine china was set up in each seat along with fine silver cutlery. Tall crystal wine glasses sat at two different ends of the table, where she guessed they would be taking their seats.

Sarah sat in one of the tall seats at the end of the table as Jareth pulled it out for her. "Thank you," she said, blushing at his action.

Jareth took his place at the other end of the table as well. The table was long, but not long enough that they wouldn't talk to each other. But the awkward silence ensued anyway.

Sarah eyed the king suspiciously. She was starting to feel a little uneasy. The little voice in the back of her mind was telling her to run. Tiny alarms were starting to go off. _You're having brunch with the Goblin King!_ The voice screamed. _Not safe! Not safe! Run!_

Jareth could see Sarah's body stiffen, her eyes widened with apprehension. He furrowed his brow with concern. _She still doesn't trust me,_ he thought just as his kitchen staff began to bring out their food.

Sarah noticed the different staff as they filed into the room. Some were little goblins, scurrying across the floor, the others beautiful elves at least almost seven feet tall. Some of them picked up the extra plates, silverware, and wine glasses from the unattended seats while a couple of goblins pushed a tray in with wonderful smelling food. Two elves brought Sarah and Jareth two full plates.

The staff took a bow and left silently. Sarah watched intently as they filed out of the room. Once they were all out, she looked down at her plate. Fluffy French toast slices pressed into each other, making a sort of chalice, holding inside fluffy whipped cream and bright red, plump strawberries and juicy…peaches. Sarah felt her stomach curl at the sight of the peaches. Bad thoughts started to crawl into her mind as she clutched her stomach and cringed at the sight of the food.

Jareth, mid bite, looked up at Sarah to see if she was enjoying her food. He was alarmed when he saw her cringing away from the plate, clutching her stomach and breathing heavily. "Sarah," he spoke up.

Sarah looked up suddenly. Her eyes were wild and frantic. She tried controlling her breathing, but now looking at the Goblin King made her heartbeat quicken. "I-I…n-no, there's no way…" Sarah had no idea what she was trying to say, it was like her tongue was in knots, fumbling for any words that came to her. She pushed her hair away from her face with one swoop of her hand, feeling sweat start to bead at her temples.

"Sarah, you're alright." Before Sarah knew it, Jareth was at her side, taking a chair next to her and taking her hand in his. He stroked her pale hand in his black leathered one.

Sarah looked him in his mismatched eyes that unnervingly gave her comfort. "W-Why are there…p-peaches?" she managed to stutter.

Jareth then understood her reason for her panic. "They are just fruit, Sarah. Nothing more."

"I was told never to take anything for granted here. The last time I ate a peach…" Sarah tried swallowing the lump in her throat. As Jareth stroked her hand, her jitters were starting to subside.

"These peaches are not enchanted, precious. I have no reason to do so. You are here on your own terms, remember? I have no power over you." Those words were like acid on Jareth's tongue. He could still remember how she looked as she said them. With such conviction, she struck him down and rejected him. He felt his heart ache once more until he saw her green eyes started to relax.

Sarah's eyes caught his and she felt her heart start to slow to normal and her muscles start to relax. _Why do his eyes always seem like they bring me back to earth when I'm spiraling out of control?_ She thought as she gazed into those mismatched orbs. _As my world falls down, it's like he picks up the pieces._

Sarah suddenly found herself blushing and realized what she was doing. _I'm staring! I'm staring at him! Stop, Sarah, stop embarrassing yourself!_ She quickly took up her fork and shoved a piece of French toast in her mouth.

When the syrup soaked bread filled her mouth, it was almost like her body melted. "Oh. My. God," Sarah said as soon as she swallowed. "This is like heaven on a plate."

Jareth chuckled at Sarah's words. He was just glad she was relaxed again. He snapped his fingers and suddenly one of the elves was at his side. "Bring me my plate. I wish to sit next to our lovely guest."

Sarah froze mid bite. She was trying not to stare at him, and now Jareth wanted to sit right next to her as they ate. She assumed small talk would now ensue. _Great,_ she thought, slowly taking a bite. _Come on, Sarah. Don't be a ball of anxiety. Be smooth for once._

* * *

 **Please leave a review! It means a lot to me.**


	4. Chapter 4: A Royal Meeting

**Next chapter! I'm so excited and proud of myself for updating as often as I do. I'm really committed to this story! I've been worried about the way I'm writing and developing the characters. Are they too out of character? Should I change some things? Constructive criticism is always welcome.**

* * *

Chapter 4

As the two sat there, Jareth thought that it would be the perfect time to get to know more of Sarah. She had changed so much since they've last met; she was like a different person. If she was going to be his guest, he had to know more about her.

Sarah sat there, stuffing her face with food, because as long as she had food in her mouth she couldn't talk, and if she couldn't talk, she couldn't embarrass herself.

But her plan didn't work.

"So, Sarah, how's school for you?" Jareth questioned. It was small talk, but he had to get somewhere.

Sarah took a swig of water. He wanted to know about her school life? _It's hell. What else is there to say?_ "It's fine," she stated plainly.

Jareth nodded. "Okay, then how's your family? Toby must be, what? Around eight years old now?"

Sarah hadn't seen or spoken to her family in months. Once she had gotten her own apartment, she moved closer to her school and away from her parents and Toby. Not speaking to Toby for so long broke her heart. She didn't want him to grow up without his older sister, but seeing him just reminded her of _that_ day, and she just couldn't handle it. "They're fine, and yes, Toby is eight."

Frustrated with Sarah's unwillingness to converse, Jareth dropped his fork onto his plate, making a loud clattering sound. "Sarah, do you remember the terms by which we stated in lieu of arriving here?"

Sarah looked up from her plate and nodded.

"You say when you want to leave, and while you're here you must do as _I_ say?"

Sarah nodded once more.

"I want to have a conversation with you."

Again, Sarah nodded.

Jareth let out an exasperated sigh. "Sarah!"

Sarah threw down her fork, making an even louder clattering sound. "What do you want from me?" She flinched. Her voice came out louder than she had anticipated. She breathed a sigh, trying to calm herself. "How am I supposed to respond to 'how's school' and 'how's your family'? I'm on probation at school because my GPA is too low. I have a two point three. _A two point three_. Last semester I had three F's and two C's. I'm going to get kicked out of my university if I don't perform a miracle this next semester, and this is my senior year. Let's not forget that I took _two years_ off because I had emotional breakdowns!" Sarah felt like she wasn't even breathing, but she continued. "I haven't talked to my family since the beginning of summer, and it's now December. I can't even face my family because all I feel is embarrassment and failure and – when did I start crying?" Sarah wiped the tears away quickly with the sleeve of her shirt and melting down into her chair.

Jareth watched as Sarah wiped her tears from her face and collect herself. "What would _you_ like to talk about?"

Sarah looked up at the man and sniffled. She shrugged, saying, "I don't know, music, literature, films…anything but me and my life."

Jareth nodded. "Then that's what we'll talk about."

They both sat there, talking to one another like they were good friends catching up. It was odd for Sarah at first, but as they continued, it felt so easy. It came so effortlessly for them.

"So much has changed since I've last indulged in the pop culture of your world," said Jareth.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "When was that?"

Jareth thought back. To him, it wasn't that long ago. Time in his world was vastly different than Sarah's. "In your time, it must've been 1925."

Sarah gasped. "What was it like?"

Jareth thought back to that time, remembering it fondly. "The people were happy, the music was jazzy, and it was hard to just get a drink."

"So you only went to America?"

"I was quite fond of New York City."

"What were you doing there, anyway?" Sarah intrigued.

Jareth chuckled. "That was back in my rebellious years. Believe it or not, Sarah, I wasn't always the great Goblin King you see before you."

Sarah snickered to herself, but Jareth caught her jeer. He let it go, but she was going to pay for her rude remark to a king such as himself. "I would often leave this world for yours, Sarah. It was a break away from the chaos instigated by my underlings."

"But who would watch over them? Did you ever have a queen?" asked Sarah.

Jareth paused before he said anything. "No," he finally said. "No woman has ever been worthy enough for the Labyrinth." He paused again before adding, "Except for one."

Sarah's attention peaked even more. Who was this woman that caught the attention of the Goblin King? "Oh really? Who?" Sarah stated casually.

Jareth chuckled under his breath. "It doesn't matter now. She rejected me and left the labyrinth some time ago." He looked past Sarah wishfully. "Someday I hope she will accept the kingdom…and I."

Sarah looked down and wrinkled her forehead. "Can I ask you another question?"

"Anything, precious."

Sarah thought back. "Yesterday I asked you why I suddenly remembered things from when I ran the labyrinth."

"I do recall."

"So…why, then?"

Jareth cleared his throat. "The magic, simply put. You were touched by my magic for those thirteen hours, and when you left, something went awry."

Sarah leaned forward, her interest fully on him. "Awry?"

"Sarah, you weren't supposed to leave the Labyrinth. When you did leave, the magic on you tried to pull you back, but you ignored it. So then it turned on you. It's the reason for your nightmares. Now that you are back, those nightmares will slowly start to decrease."

Sarah was a bit shocked. After everything that she had gone through, the solution seemed so simple. Just to go back to the Labyrinth. She also realized that she also couldn't, and it wasn't that easy. Right after running the labyrinth she felt so proud of herself for standing up to the Goblin King and saving her baby brother. Why would she want to go back after that? And then when the nightmares came, she was terrified to even read the book. No, the solution wasn't so simple. But at least Sarah was sitting there in the castle beyond the Goblin City now.

Sarah opened her mouth to say something, but instead she was cut off by the doors opening and Griselda making her entrance. "Your majesty, it's almost about time for that high council meeting. You'll want to make your way to the throne room 'bout now." She rushed in, sweeping up Sarah's and Jareth's plates from the table and setting them on a cart that had appeared next to her with a goblin servant towing it.

Griselda took Sarah by the arm and hoisted her up on her feet. "As for you, dearie, we'll find something for you to do while his highness is away."

As Jareth was followed out by a party of goblin and elf servants, brushing him off, fixing his hair, and making sure he looked suitable for the meeting, Sarah watched him leave, only catching a glimpse of his spiked blonde locks. Sarah felt the pull of the old woman housemaid. "What am I supposed to do?"

As soon as Jareth and his party left their company, Griselda led Sarah out of the dining hall. "What all young maidens do in their spare time in the Underground: practice their studies. Whether it be art, music, literature. I'm sure a bright young woman as yourself studies something."

Sarah looked up at the walls as they passed. Paintings and portraits hung high on the stone walls and oil lamps hung on the walls. "I'm an English major. I study literature."

Griselda smiled. "I knew you were a bright one! The king loves books and readings. I'll escort you to his library."

Sarah nodded and let herself be dragged by the arm by the little old woman in front of her.

The library was massive. Sarah could have never even dreamed of such a wonderful place, but there it was, engulfing her in the wonderful smell of what she could only describe as magic and old paper. The bookcases reached the ceiling, which hung high above her head. Row upon row of even more bookcases as tall as the ceiling. In the center of it all there was a round clearing, an ornate rug spread across the floor and an old but very inviting chair sat upon it. An afghan blanket thrown neatly over the back of it.

Hesitantly, Sarah looked back at Griselda. "Go on, then," she smiled and waved her away.

Sarah sat gently on the chair, sinking into it delightfully. She ran her fingers over the suede on the arm rests, down the sides, and down to the lever on one side, which she pulled, releasing a foot rest to spring out from it. Sarah looked up and found that she was alone in the huge room. Griselda must've seen her way out as Sarah was marveling at the softness of the chair. Settling in more, Sarah picked a book off the nearest shelf and indulged her mind into it.

Across the castle, Jareth was running a bit behind on schedule. Bursting through the doors to his throne room, he strolled up to his chair and planted himself in it, swinging his leg across the arm, almost completely ignoring the other royals in the room. "Let's get this over with. I have important things to do."

"A pleasure to see you, Jareth. Even if you are ten minutes late," the High Queen, Rhiannon, said, an edge to her voice.

The High King next to her boomed a great hearty chuckle. "Relax, Rhia! I'm sure our boy has a perfectly good explanation for being late. Probably off having some morning fun with some Nymphs. Aye, my boy?" The High King smiled broadly at Jareth and winked.

"Oh please, Anghus, not in front of the Elven Queen," Rhiannon gave her husband a stern look, and then back to the Elf Queen with an apologetic one. "I apologize for my husband's crude remarks."

The Elf Queen, Luella, blushed. "It is nothing." She gave a warm smile to the High King and Queen, then turned her attention to Jareth, still sitting casually in his throne. "Your highness, The Goblin King–"

"Could we stop with all of this ' _your highness'_ shit? We only talk this way with one another when we're all called here," Jareth interrupted.

Luella dropped her smile and glared at Jareth. "Why must you _always_ be a centaur's ass?!" She shouted at him with distain.

Jareth chuckled. "Now t _here's_ the Luella I know."

Rhiannon smiled to herself and clasped her hands together. "Ah, young love!"

Luella and Jareth looked at the High Queen like she was mad. Anghus let out a groan, saying, "There's nothing young about these two, Rhia."

Jareth rolled his eyes, ignoring his mother and father, turning his attention to Luella once more. "I know you came here for a reason, _Elf Queen._ So out with it."

Luella placed her hands on her hips, the long sleeves of her lavish robe kissing the floor. "I need Goblins."

Jareth straightened up and scowled. "Why in the bloody hell do you need more of my Goblins?"

Luella sighed and gave her explanation. "The Thain of the Hobbits is travelling a very long way to accompany me in my palace, along with his guards. More Goblins are necessary to make their stay less strenuous for my current housekeepers."

"Didn't I already send you a hundred and fifty of my Goblins already?"

"Yes, but one Goblin is about a third of an Elf. I need three Goblins just to do the work of one Elf."

Jareth scoffed. "It's not my Goblin's fault that Elves are so freakishly tall."

Luella scowled at him. "Need I remind you that a horde of your Goblins destroyed the east wing of my palace?"

"I told you that's how they play!"

"Enough!" Rhiannon stood from her chair and held her hand up to halt the two. She turned to Luella and gave a regal grin. "Luella, darling, what does the Thain of Hobbits have any business doing in the Elf Kingdom?"

Luella smiled brightly back at the High Queen. "Courtship, your majesty."

Rhiannon's grin turned quickly into a grimace. "Oh dear…" she said to herself. But then a brilliant idea popped into her royal mind, and she was grinning once more. "Ah, dear, I have the solution!"

"You do?" Jareth questioned.

"Hush, Jareth," she snapped. "You can have half of the Goblin kingdom's population!"

Jareth's, Luella's, and Anghus' brows shot up at once. Jareth sprang up from his throne immediately, pointing a gloved finger at his mother. "You have no authority-"

Rhiannon's hand went up to stop Jareth. "As a wedding gift from Anghus and I. After all, this kingdom will be half yours if you accept."

Luella's eyes bugged out as she looked from Jareth to his parents. Not knowing what to say, she chuckled nervously.

Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose, his mother bringing on a headache.

Anghus heaved himself up from his chair, putting his strong arm around his petite wife. "My wife, my love, my Queen, I cherish everything about you and worship you at your feet but… _butt out._ "

Rhiannon gasped at her husband. " _Anghus!_ Your language."

Anghus boomed with laughter and smacked his big, calloused hand on Rhiannon's behind.

The High Queen jumped at the sudden contact. She glowered at him and smacked him on his bicep, which he could barely feel.

Jareth, rubbing his eyes with both hands and groaning, gave in to the Elf Queen. "You can have another hundred and fifty Goblins."

Luella, blushing uncontrollably at this point, nodded and retreated towards the doors, where her guards waited for her. "It was a pleasure, as always, to see you, Rhiannon and Anghus. Likewise to you, Jareth. But I really must be leaving now. I will be awaiting the arrival of my Goblins."

Jareth waved, one hand still pinching the bridge of his nose.

Luella's guards opened the doors for her and she gracefully made her departure, the long train of her robe dragging behind her.

Silence filled the room for a couple of minutes. Rhiannon and Anghus glanced at each other, and then to their son, who just stood there, tapping his foot, his eyes squeezed shut, still pinching the bridge of his nose because his horrible headache caused by his mother would not go away. Finally, he sighed and made his way toward the door.

Rhiannon took a few steps towards him. "Where are you going?"

"I have business to attend to," he stated.

"Are we not going to talk about this? Anghus?" She whipped around to face her husband and raised her perfectly arched brows.

Anghus shrugged. "Let the boy run his Kingdom."

Rhiannon scoffed and folded her arms. "When will you realize Luella is the perfect match for you?" She boomed at her son as he walked away.

Jareth paused in his place, turning to face his mother. "I've already found my perfect match, and it is _not_ Luella." Satisfied with the shock on his mother's face, he smirked and turned back to the door, swinging them both open. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to and a guest awaiting me."

As soon as he walked out, his mother whipped around to face her husband, clearly very distraught. " _Who_ is the perfect match, Anghus?! _Who!"_

Anghus boomed another hearty chuckle at his fuming wife. "I guess we'll have to wait and see! Come, my heated wife! You know I love it when you get angry," he purred in the Queen's ear. Slapping a hand on her bottom once again, they disappeared from the room, and faint shout of "Anghus!" disappearing from the room with them.

* * *

 **I know everyone seems to have Jareth's mom's name as Titania, but I wanted to make things different. Hope that's alright! As always, thank you for reading, and please leave a review! They really do keep me going.**


	5. Chapter 5: Phone Call From Home

**Sorry for such the late update, but all of my classes decided to give their exams in one week. Isn't college great? Anyway, as always, enjoy the new chapter and leave reviews!**

* * *

Chapter 5

Hours later, after Jareth was done with all of his paperwork and meetings, tiredly he made his way down to his library. Opening the door and closing it behind him, he found the peaceful silence he was craving all day long. The stress of the day was getting to him. He wanted nothing more than to sit down with Sarah and talk about her day.

The faint sound of a book page turning cut through the silence. Jareth followed the sound to the center of the room, where his favorite reading spot was being taken up by his guest. He got close enough to where he could see her. She lied there on the reclining chair, the afghan blanket thrown over her, her literature book in her hands, her green eyes grazing over the words. He loved seeing her so tranquil and candid.

He came forward, arms folded and a smirk playing on his lips. "How are you liking my library?"

Sarah looked up from the book. "It's wonderful. It's like this place was made for me."

Jareth chuckled. "Well, it was made for me, but I'm willing to share."

Sarah closed her book and set it in her lap. "What a gracious king you are," she said, a tinge of sarcasm dripping from her words. She started to look around and wondered how long she'd been in there. "What time is it?" she asked.

"It's almost seven," Jareth replied.

Sarah combed her fingers through her hair. "Oh jeez, I've been in here almost all day."

Jareth grabbed an ottoman that was sitting off to the side and sat there next to Sarah. "It's quite all right, precious. You have no duties here other than to enjoy yourself."

Sarah found comfort in his words. The fact that she had nothing to do gave her some solace, but it also made her crave some responsibility. "I read that story you were wondering about. _Lanval,_ " she said, holding up her book. "I see you stole my textbook and tried to keep it for your own collection."

Jareth smirked. "One of my housemaids must've picked it up from your nightstand and put it in here by mistake. My apologies, precious."

 _Always calling me precious,_ Sarah wondered. _He probably calls all the girls that._ "He gets the girl in the end, you know."

Jareth raised his eyebrows. "He does, now? I thought he could never see her again."

Sarah shook her head. "No, when he stands in court for being accused of having an affair with the queen, his lady comes to the court to testify for him. They run away together after that and they're never seen from again."

Jareth stroked him chin. "To run away with the one you love. Hmm. Must be nice."

Sarah leaned forward and placed her hand gently on his gloved one. "I'm sure she'll come back to you," she said to him softly. He looked up into her eyes, those piercing mismatched orbs took her breath away. Reeling her hand back in embarrassingly, she added, "I mean, who wouldn't want to be with a king, and all?"

Jareth shrugged. "You don't," he retorted.

Sarah opened her mouth to respond, but she stopped herself. _I don't?_ She asked herself. Ever since arriving at the castle once again, she's been internally struggling with the fact that her childhood villain wasn't actually her villain after all. Who was he to her now? "That's different," she replied.

"Is it?" His icy eyes burned into her like a thousand suns.

Sarah didn't know what he was saying, so she didn't know how to respond. So her stomach responded for her, giving forth a fierce growl. She put her hand on her stomach, realizing she hadn't eaten since brunch.

Jareth chuckled. "I supposed it is dinner time," he said, standing. He held out his hand for Sarah to take. "Sarah, will you accompany me to dinner?"

Sarah took his hand and chastised herself for her cheeks burning. "Goblin King, are you asking me on a date?" she said teasingly.

Jareth gave her his signature smirk. "Only if you accept."

Sarah pretended to ponder his offer. "Well, I am quite hungry. So I _guess_ I'll accept."

Jareth laughed. "Lucky me."

The two walked into the dining room they had eaten in before. Sarah's breath was still taken away at the beauty of the décor. The windows were open and the drapery pulled back, the golden sunset spilled into the room and it seemed like everything was made of pure gold. She stepped forward to take a closer look outside, taking in the magnificent view. Pink and golden hues painted the sky, illuminating the Labyrinth below.

"It's so…"

"Breath-taking," Jareth finished, standing back and admiring his view. The pale light of the sunset glowed around her silhouette beautifully. She truly did take his breath away.

Sarah turned around and saw the Goblin King starring at her. And for a moment she thought she saw admiration. But she pushed the thought away, along with the butterflies in her stomach.

A couple of Goblins pulled seats out for the two to sit in, the same ones they sat in that morning. It took only a few minutes for their food to come out, once again the plating was too beautiful for Sarah to dig in at first sight. But the enticing aroma convinced her to surrender to it.

In the middle of their meal and deep conversation over the meeting with the chicken farmers Jareth lead earlier that day, he felt a jolt inside of him. Jareth suddenly paused what he was saying, but shook the feeling off.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, as I was saying: so by that time I was–" Once again he was cut off by the spark he felt deep inside him.

Sarah raised her eyebrow. She could tell something was wrong with him. "Um, are you okay?"

Jareth sighed in irritation. With a flick of his hand, a crystal appeared suddenly, and inside a distressed Goblin looked back at him. "What in God's name do you want?" he demanded.

"Sire! We think Sarah's home is under attack! There's this shrill noise that keeps hurting our ears and we don't know where it's coming from," the Goblin said frantically.

Sarah sat up straight and furrowed her brow when she heard "Sarah's home". " _What_ did he say?"

Jareth ignored Sarah, trying to keep her in the dark. "What the bloody hell are you blathering on about?"

Suddenly the shrill noise rang out, a noise Sarah recognized as her home phone. The Goblins in the crystal all covered their ears and shrieked in terror, darting about, trying to find the source of the noise.

Sarah leaned over and looked into the crystal. She noticed that the background was indeed her apartment. Her blood started to boil at the thought of Goblins running amuck in her home, tearing everything up and generally just making a huge mess. "Why are there Goblins in my apartment?!" she demanded.

Jareth leaned away from her, trying to hide the scene going on in the crystal. "Would you imbeciles SHUT UP!"

All the Goblins on the other line froze, in fear of what their king might do to punish them if they didn't listen.

Sarah raised from her chair and leaned across Jareth to grab the crystal in both hands. "If _any_ of you put your grubby, dirty little hands on _any_ of my belongings or made a mess _anywhere_ , I swear that I will bring the wrath of a _thousand_ Goblin Kings on your little asses. Do you understand me?"

All the faces of the Goblins in the crystal twisted with fear, which made Sarah feel a little bad. She never knew Goblins could feel remorse.

Jareth snatched his crystal back, and Sarah leaning back in her chair once again. "Come back to the castle _at once._ Sarah and I are heading over there now. I better not see any of you left there when we do get there." With that, the crystal went blank and disappeared.

Sarah groaned and slipped down further in her seat. "We're teleporting again, aren't we?"

Jareth stood and pulled Sarah's chair out. "Do you want to know why I sent Goblins to your apartment?"

Sarah stood. "Yes, yes I do." She stood and, hesitantly, put her arms around Jareth's torso. In a flash, she was whisked off, and that same nauseating feeling returned.

Just as soon as the floor left her feet, Sarah felt solid floor again. She opened her eyes, realizing that she had them squeezed shut tight, and found herself in the middle of her apartment's living room. She let go of Jareth, feeling more stable now than the first time, but still slightly dizzy. "Alright, Goblin King, why the hell were there Goblins here?"

Jareth chuckled at the angry look on Sarah's face. "They were simply just looking after your home. So that no intruders could let themselves in. Honestly, Sarah, do you still think I'm such a bad person?"

Sarah opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by the shrill ringing of the telephone. She quickly made her way over into her kitchen and checked the caller ID display. Sarah quickly picked up the phone when she saw it was her parent's home phone. "Hello…?"

"Sarah!" her father shouted into the phone, making Sarah pull the phone away from her ear. "Where have you been? Irene and I have been trying to call you all day! We were so close to calling the cops."

"Dad, I'm fine," she said softly into the phone. She felt bad that she made her parents worried, but then again, she was an adult, and she didn't have to report to her parents. "What's up?"

" _What's up_?" her dad mocked her in a serious tone. "Why haven't you answered our phone calls all day? Are you okay? Are you taking your medication?"

"Oh my God, is that Sarah?!" Sarah heard her step-mother say in the background.

"Yes, Irene, she finally answered," her dad said.

"God, dad, _yes,_ I have been taking my medication." Sarah noticed Jareth walk into the opening of the kitchen. She turned her back to him, trying to gain some privacy.

"Have you taken it today?" Now Irene was on the phone. Sarah assumed they just put her on speaker.

Sarah mentally slapped herself. She didn't even take her medicine to the Underground when she left her apartment the other night. "Well, no, I haven't. But –"

"Sarah, you need to be taking your medicine!" Irene interjected in a concerned tone. "We did not spend all that money for you to get that prescription to not take it every day."

Sarah ran her fingers through her hair. "Dad, can you please take me off of speaker?" she pleaded.

"Sarah, we want to talk to you. We haven't heard from you in God knows how long," her father replied.

"What do you guys really want to say?" Sarah said.

There was a little pause on the other end, but soon Irene replied, "You forgot about the Christmas party, didn't you?"

Sarah pressed the palm of her hand into her forehead. She couldn't believe she forgot about the annual Christmas party. "Crap, I'm sorry I completely forgot."

"We were worried when we didn't receive your RSVP," her dad said in an empathetic voice.

"Well I thought it was implied that your daughter would be there."

"Well, we thought maybe you would have plans and just didn't want to tell us," said Irene. "Like maybe you had a date. We hoped you would have a date."

Sarah felt anger starting to boil up once again. "No, I do not have a date," she said through her teeth.

"Oh, well then you _can_ come to the Christmas party," Irene said.

Sarah felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, facing Jareth. "I'm afraid there is a little bit of a mess in your room," he said, pointing in the direction of her room behind him with his thumb.

Sarah rolled her eyes, but before she could say anything, her step-mother spoke up. "Is that a man I hear?"

Sarah's eyes widened. "Um…no?"

"Sarah, I –"

Sarah slapped her hand over Jareth's mouth before he could say any more. "Shut up!" she whispered to him.

"I _can_ hear, I'm not that old, you know!" Irene said, her interest peaked even more. "So you _have_ been dating.

Jareth pried Sarah's hand off of his mouth and held it. Noticing her hand in his, Sarah's cheeks lit up and she quickly reeled her hand in. "What the fuck?!" she mouthed to him incredulously.

Jareth smirked and let out a short laugh. "You get so embarrassed so easily, Sarah."

"Where did you meet this guy, Sarah?" her father questioned.

Sarah slapped Jareth in his chest before answering her father. "Uh…school? Yeah I met him in one of my classes…"

"Why don't you invite him to the Christmas party?" Irene suggested.

Sarah slowly started to shake her head. "I don't think he would want to –"

"Ask him!" her step-mother insisted.

With an exasperated sigh, Sarah looked up at Jareth. "Would you like to go to my parent's Christmas party?"

Jareth pondered the idea of a Christmas party with Sarah and her family. _A once in a lifetime opportunity, perhaps,_ he thought. Plus, the look Sarah would have if he accepted… "I'd love to," he said, giving her a smile.

Sarah gaped at the Goblin King. She was hoping there would be some weird Fae rule that forbid partying with humans. She was wrong. Huffing out a sigh, she said, "He said he'd love to."

Irene clapped with joy and said, "Your father and I just can't wait to meet him! We have to go now. We're picking Toby up from his friend's house and going out for dinner. Have fun, you two!"

"Can't wait to see you, sweetie!" Her dad called out, sounding farther away, probably already halfway out the door.

"Yeah, me too," Sarah said, unenthusiastically. She hung up the phone and glared at Jareth.

Jareth could see the annoyance in her eyes. "What did _I_ do? I couldn't reject an invitation; that would be rude."

"You know what else is rude? Sending the cleaners after a fourteen year old girl in a hallway with a dead end!" Sarah stomped off into the living room.

Jareth followed her. "I thought we were past that."

Sarah whirled around and stuck her finger in his face. "Listen, Goblin King –"

"And here I thought we were on a first name basis."

"Ugh!" She stormed off into her room and slammed the door. Once inside, she saw the horrendous mess left behind by the Goblins. Her drawers were completely raided. Pajamas, socks, bras, and panties were strewn across every piece of furniture and all over the floor. She threw open her closet door and found all the clothes that were hanging on their own hangers were now on the floor. Sarah closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists. She flung herself onto her bed, buried her face in the pillows, and screamed, "IT'S NOT FAIR!"

Outside her room, Jareth leaned against her door, chuckling. "I wonder what your basis for comparison is, precious."


	6. Chapter 6: Of Wine and Women

**Sorry for such the long delay for an update! But here's the next chapter and I hope you enjoy it. I'm really excited because my favorite Labyrinth author finally updated my favorite story of their's! It gave me inspiration to write.**

 _ **Response to comments**_

 **Bree O'Malley: That's a really good idea! I really can't wait to write that chapter. There's gonna be a lot of embarrassment for Sarah and some romance on the way ;)**

 **Guest: Technically, in the movie, it doesn't say anything about the rules of Jareth messing with the dreams of mortals. But seeing as the fandom seems to run with this theme, I have employed it in this chapter just for you :) It actually helped to segue into the next chapter!**

 **TimeLady: The library from Beauty and the Beast was EXACTLY what I was thinking! Great minds think a like ;) lol. I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue reading!**

* * *

Chapter 6

 _Sarah felt this warm, fuzzy feeling inside. She was comfortable and warm, with soft blankets surrounding her. She felt the coolness of a silk shirt on her bare torso. She realized that that was all she was wearing. She felt like she could stay like this forever._

 _"You can stay here forever, my precious," she heard a sultry voice in her ear. She felt the strong constrict of an arm around her waist. The warm breath that glided across her ear made her shiver with longing._

 _Sarah turned over on her back. Blonde locks spilled around the face of her company and the mismatched orbs gazed down at her with such an intensity and want that made her melt. As he leaned down to her she pushed herself up to meet him, and their lips pressed together. The warmth Sarah felt was almost unreal–_

Sarah propped herself up in bed, breathing heavily. She wiped away the beads of sweat at her temples with the back of her hand. As she looked around the room she saw that it was still dark out. She would've guessed that it was around three to four o'clock in the morning.

As she sat up, she noticed moisture from inside her shorts. She groaned, throwing her head back. "Are you _freaking_ kidding me?" Sarah whispered to herself in the darkness. She threw the covers away from herself and stood, the squishing feeling making her cringe.

She waddled her way to the bathroom, cursing herself with each step. "My first wet dream in years and it _has_ to be about _him_. Fantastic."

When she was all nice and cleaned up, Sarah made her way back to her bed and tried to get more sleep. But every time she seemed to close her eyes, all she could see was his eyes staring down at her and his deep, sensual voice saying, _"You can stay here forever, my precious"._

 _He doesn't want you like that,_ she thought as she lied there in the silent darkness. _He just took you away because you wished it. He probably hates you for what you did to him._

It was hard to shake off that dream, but she eventually did, and sleep came over her once again.

When Sarah woke up again, there was light streaming in through the windows. She stared up at the ceiling, recalling her dream last night. She blushed to herself and threw the blankets over her head. _There is no way I can face him today,_ she thought. But as soon as she resolved to try and avoid him all day, Griselda burst through the door.

"Up and at 'em, Lady Sarah! Time for breakfast with the king," Griselda pulled the blankets off of Sarah and beamed down at her.

Sarah groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can I skip breakfast this morning? Or maybe you can bring it to my room?"

Griselda cocked her head to the side with a puzzled look. "Whatever for, m'lady? His Highness is always so happy in the morning to see you."

Sarah propped herself on her elbows and raised her eyebrows. "He's happy to see me?"

"He's been so lonely before you came along. You're the perfect company for a king," Griselda grinned and gave her a wink.

Sarah looked down. "Well, when you put it that way…. Alright, I'll go." She got up, dressed herself, and freshened up, as she always did before breakfast. But this time she purposefully went slower than usual.

When Sarah arrived in the dining room, she noticed she was the only one there. She looked around hesitantly, making her way to her seat. As soon as she sat down, Goblins came in and set a plate of food in front of her. The plating was as beautiful and pungent as ever, but it wasn't the same alone.

She waited a few minutes until she finally dug in. It might be a little rude to not wait for Jareth, but she didn't want her food getting cold. A few minutes soon turned into fifteen minutes sitting and eating by herself. By that time she had already finished her food, now swirling the leftover bits around with her fork.

Twenty minutes gone by and Sarah felt furious. _Who the hell does he think he is? A king?_ She threw her fork down and stood. _I don't care who he is, I will not be stood up._ Before she could storm out, the doors opened and in came his royal highness himself.

Jareth strolled in, a scowl written on his face as usual, his maids trailing behind him. Sarah opened her mouth to say something along the lines of "who the hell do you think you are", but Jareth took his seat next to her and looked her dead in the eye.

"Sarah," he said, his intense eyes burning into hers. "I apologize for being so late. I don't want you to feel stood up. I had an early morning meeting that didn't end until a few minutes ago. I have a very demanding day today, so I won't be able to spend much time with you."

Although she had felt furious at first, his sincere apology made _her_ feel guilty. "Oh…" Sarah ran her fingers through her hair. "Well, could I maybe…come with you?" As soon as the words left her mouth she wanted to slap herself. _Why would he want you to go with him? He's a king who has important duties that you know nothing about. You're not his equal, so stop acting like it!_

Jareth chuckled, putting his hand over hers lightly, making Sarah's heart jolt. "I'm sorry, precious, I really wish you could. I could use your company after the hellish morning I've had," he sighed. "But I'll be free later this evening. Until then, I've left some surprises in your room," he smiled. Patting her hand, he stood.

Standing with him, Sarah watched as he walked away, his maids following after him. "Oh, and Sarah," he called before he walked out. "I've been invited to the Elven Ball tomorrow. I hope you're alright with accompanying me."

Before she could even give him her answer, Jareth was out of the room and out of sight. Sarah stood there, staring at the door, mouth agape. She scoffed, pushing hair behind her ear. " _I hope you're alright with accompanying me!"_ she mocked, stomping out of the dining room.

She threw open the doors of her room, gasping at what she saw inside. A stereo system sat on her nightstand along with stacks of CDs and cassette tapes of her favorite bands next to it. Underneath that, the drawer of the nightstand was filled with all of her favorite snacks from Aboveground. The bookshelf against the wall was filled to the brim with all of her favorite books.

Sarah couldn't believe what she was seeing. She thought she had to give up all of these things when she wished herself away. She wondered how Jareth knew about all her favorites, but then she remembered when they talked the first day. Sarah went on and on about her favorite books, music, and movies. _He remembered…_ she thought with a smile.

A note on the bed caught Sarah in the corner of her eye. She picked it up and read it aloud. "Look in the wardrobe…" With a puzzled look, she set the note down and opened up her wardrobe. There, amongst the rest of her normal clothes, hung a brilliant ball gown. With a spark in her eye, she quickly took it up in her arms and held it against her.

"My dress!" she exclaimed, twirling around with the heavy, cream colored fabric. She took one of the sleeves in her hand and examined it. The shiny fabric was more intricate than she remembered. The jewels, the lace, the organza, the huge, puffy sleeves…it was all unreal. When she first wore it, she had never really relished in its beauty. She was too busy trying to reject the advances of the handsome yet devilish Goblin King and save her little brother from being turned into a Goblin. But now she could enjoy it all.

She noticed another note pinned to the dress. Cocking her head to the side, she plucked the note off and read it.

 _I cannot wait to see you in this again. All eyes will be on you at the ball tomorrow._

 _–Jareth_

Sarah groaned. She had forgotten Jareth had invited her to the Elven Ball before he left. Her stomach dropped. She didn't know anything about royal balls, how was she supposed to be escorted to one by a king? Thinking about it was giving her anxiety.

She put the dress back into the wardrobe and sat on the bed. She needed a way to relax herself. She turned to the stereo system. Picking out a Smashing Pumpkins CD, she plugged in the headphones, popped the CD in, and lied back on the pillows as she let her mind focus on the song.

Sarah woke with a jolt. She had fallen asleep with the headphones on listening to The Cure and reading Pride and Prejudice, the book lying open on her chest. She looked out the window, seeing pink and orange cover the sky as the moon hung low. Her nap had taken up most of the day.

As she picked herself up, her stomach growled at her. "I guess it's time for dinner," she told herself. She suddenly had a realization. She felt…rested. She had never felt rested after such a long nap. Not only that, but she hadn't had any nightmares since arriving at the castle. Sarah smiled to herself. _Maybe I'm cured…_ she thought as she made her way to the dining room.

The dining room felt empty. The magic that she had once felt and the beauty of it had gone missing in her eyes. As she sat down in her regular seat, she turned her head to the empty chair next to her. Then she realized, the only thing that was missing was the blonde man that always accompanied her at dinner.

Sighing, she grabbed her napkin and folded it onto her lap. Right after that, the doors to the kitchen swung open and the house Goblins and Elves made their way in with Sarah's meal. As a Goblin placed her plate in front of her, a tall male Elf with long, tied back silver hair came next to her and revealed a bottle. "Lady Sarah, would you like a glass of the King's finest Labyrinthian wine? It's the best in all the Underground," he said in a smooth voice.

Sarah inspected the bottle in the Elf's hands. It was a tall, dark bottle with an aged red label on it. In black cursive lettering it read _Labyrinthian Wine_ and in smaller print below it said _Cabernet Sauvignon_. Sarah felt her mouth water and if she weren't in a castle being served extravagant dishes, she would be drooling with her mouth agape. "Y-Yes please," she raised her glass and the Elf poured the dark red liquid.

Sarah's eyes sparkled at the sight. She couldn't remember the last time she had a nice glass of wine. Trying not to seem like a lush by gulping it down, she slowly pressed the edge of the glass between her lips and let the liquid flow into her mouth and down her throat. Sarah sighed, melting as the dry, full bodied wine immediately started to relax her.

When Sarah went away for college and turned twenty-one, she turned to wine to help calm her anxiety. But as Sarah soon found out, alcohol and depression medication do not mix well. Ever since, Sarah stayed away from alcohol. But since she hadn't been taking her medication since she landed in the Underground, she figured she would indulge herself.

By the end of her meal Sarah had gone through two glasses of wine, and she was already starting to feel her ears and cheeks burn. _I must've really become a light weight over these couple of years_ , she thought, knocking out the last drop in her glass.

As one of the Goblins took away Sarah's empty plate, Sarah tapped his shoulder and held out her glass. "Is it possible to maybe have a bottle of wine sent up to my room?"

The little female Goblin looked up at Sarah and nodded with a smile on her face. "Of course, Lady Sarah, I'll have one sent up in no time."

"Thank you," Sarah said, standing from her seat. She wobbled a little, trying to straighten up. She pushed her hair back, trying to compose herself. Giggling to herself in embarrassment, she quickly made her way to her room.

Jareth could hardly wait to just kick off his boots, put on his silk robe, and lie down in bed. The day had really taken a toll on him. He had been going nonstop since dawn. Not to mention his morning meeting with his parents had gone a little odd.

 _"We have been informed of something, my boy," Anghus said in a deep and serious tone._

 _Rhiannon stood off to the side, her arms crossed and graceful face set into a scowl._

 _Jareth furrowed his brow in puzzlement as he stepped into the room. "Of what, father?" He asked, taking a seat on his throne._

 _Anghus stroked his long grey beard. "The high council has been informed that you have used your magic to tamper with a mortal's dreams."_

 _Jareth cursed to himself. He had completely forgotten about how he changed Sarah's nightmare into a more pleasant dream. "It was with good intentions," he said._

 _Anghus bowed his head. "Well, good intensions or not, you are not allowed to touch a mortal's dreams with your magic. You know what are magic can do to them."_

 _Jareth crossed his arms and scowled, a spitting image of his mother. "Go on then, what's my punishment?"_

 _Anghus looked toward his wife for assistance. Rhiannon stepped forward, now a smirk playing at her ruby lips. "Not so much a punishment, but a deal," she said._

 _Jareth eyed his sneaky mother cautiously. "What's the deal?"_

 _Rhiannon grinned ear to ear, a sparkle gracing her crystal blue eyes. "You are cordially invited to the Elven Ball that Luella is hosting in her palace. The Thane of Hobbits will be there, as you know, to begin courtship to the Elf Queen."_

 _Jareth shrugged. "Fine I'll go," he stated, thinking he was getting off easy._

 _"But," the Queen raised a slender finger. "You must go and intervene."_

 _Both Jareth and his father groaned in exasperation. "Intervene what, mother?" Jareth demanded, already knowing what she was going to say._

 _"Why, the courtship, of course! That Hobbit is not a match for Luella. I know it, her whole kingdom knows it, and even you know it, Jareth."_

 _Jareth tapped his chin with his gloved finger. He did know that they weren't a good match, but for other reasons. He sighed, knowing he really did have to go to the ball. Not just because of his mother's punishment, but for Luella. "Alright mother, you get your way this time."_

 _Rhiannon raised her brows, looking back at her husband who also had a look of disbelief. "Well…okay then," she stated plainly. "Then your father and I will see you there."_

 _Jareth watched as his parents disappeared from the room, a playful smirk teasing his lips. "They never said I couldn't bring a date," he said to himself, strolling out of the throne room._

As Jareth made his way down the hall, he could hear the faint sound of music being played. Arching an eyebrow, he made his way toward the music, noticing that it came in the direction of Sarah's room.

"OH come on Eileen! Oh I swear, what he means, at this moment…you mean EVERYTHIIIIING!" Sarah sang along to the track coming from the stereo, jumping madly up and down on her bed. "With you in that dress, my thoughts, I confess, verge on dirty! OH COME ON EILEEN!"

An empty bottle of wine sat haphazardly on its side on the floor and a glass of that red liquid sat safely on the nightstand filled to the brim. Sarah's cheeks blazed pink and sweat beaded at her temples as she jumped excitedly.

As soon as Jareth made his way to Sarah's bedroom door, he could hear the blasting music very clearly and the familiar tone of Sarah's voice singing along. The door creaked as he poked his head in but Sarah, being preoccupied with her singing and dancing, didn't hear it. He watched as she laughed and sang and jumped to the beat so carelessly. Stepping in and closing the door behind him, he couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.

Sarah, totally engulfed in the song and her jumping, hadn't noticed her audience until she spun around. "Come on, Eilee-" She stopped jumping and froze as soon as she made eye contact with Jareth.

Jareth, with his arm folded in front of him, smirked. "Well? Go on then. Don't stop your fun because of me."

Sarah's smile slowly started to creep back up. Jumping off the bed, she ran to him and grabbed his hands. "Do you know this song?" she asked as she pulled him to the bed, all while grinning ear to ear.

Jareth shook his head. "I don't think I do… Sarah what are you doing?"

"Well you're going to know it tonight!" She jumped back up onto the bed, still holding onto Jareth's hand.

Jareth hesitated at the edge of the bed. "Sarah, Kings don't _jump_ on the bed," he protested.

" _Come on Jareth, too-loo-rye-aye! Come on Jareth, too-loo-rye-aye!"_ Sarah sang, modifying the real lyrics, as she pulled on Jareth to join her.

Jareth sighed, looking around and at the door. _I'm sure no one would come in and see me. That could be bad for my reputation around here. But Sarah is so cute right now. How can I resist her? Damn her and her charm!_ After taking off his boots so he wouldn't dirty the bed, Sarah pulled him up and held onto both his hands.

"I finally get to see the Goblin King let loose!" Sarah said with a smirk, jumping up and down.

As they jumped and as Sarah sang along, Jareth couldn't help but watch the pure joy on her face as she laughed and smiled with him. _She either finally trusts me, or it's that Labyrinthian wine…_ he thought.

As the song came to an end, Sarah dropped to the mattress, breathing heavily and beaming with bliss. Lying on her back, she patted the spot next to her for him to join her. When he did so, she turned to her side and inspected him.

This was the first time she had ever seen him not perfect. His blond, wispy hair was all disheveled and his temples beaded with sweat. His chest, which was revealed by the deep V of his shirt, also beaded with sweat and rose and fell with every breath he panted out. It could have been the wine talking, but she really wanted to touch him. She fought back the urge, of course. But, damn, it was hard.

"How was your King's work today?" she asked him once she caught her breath.

In a matter of no time the sweat he had worked up had dried and he was back to his perfect self. "Boring, as always. How was your day?"

Sarah shrugged. "Same old, same old. Sat in here and wish I could be with you." If it weren't for the wine, Sarah would have been taking back her words, but she just smiled and eyed him.

Jareth was taken back by her words. "Sarah, how much wine have you had?"

Sarah's eyes lit up, like she had remembered something. "The wine!" She reached over and, carefully, grasped the full glass of wine she had sitting on her nightstand. "I've only had half a bottle. You know, normally it doesn't hit me this hard. Must be because I haven't had a drink in so long." She started to take a sip, but Jareth snatched the glass from her.

"Sarah, Labyrinthian wine is incredibly strong. It's two times stronger than the wine from the Aboveground. It's like you just drank two bottles of your world's wine." Jareth set the glass down on the nightstand next to him.

Sarah knit her brows together. "Seriously?" she slurred. "Oh man! That's not good," she said, hitting her forehead with the palm of her hand.

Jareth shook his head. "At least Labyrinthian wine won't give you a hangover in the morning. You'll feel just fine for the ball tomorrow."

Sarah's eyes widened as she remembered the ball. "Oh right! That ball thing…" she said, turning over onto her back again. "So, am I like your date or something? How are you going to explain to all your magical friends that you brought a normal person to an _Elven ball?_ "

"You're not just a _normal person_ , Sarah. You're the Champion of the Labyrinth," he said, a hint of admiration in his voice.

Sarah's face fell when he said _champion_. A frown set on her mouth. "You mean I w _as,"_ she said in a low, melancholy tone.

Jareth turned onto his side to look at her. "You're still the champion even if you don't feel like it, Sarah."

Sarah too turned to face him. Jareth noticed the tears that started to well up in her eyes. "Jareth," she said in a small, shaky voice. "I think there's still some bad magic in me."

Jareth raised an eyebrow. He hadn't felt anymore bad magic on her since her second day of arriving here. "Are you still having nightmares?"

Sarah shook her head, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them as she lay. "No, no nightmares. I just…feel the same as before. Don't get me wrong, this is the happiest I've been in a long time, but there's still this empty feeling…"

Jareth knew what she was talking about. He didn't want to tell her, but it was the only way. "Sarah, have you taken your…medication…at all since arriving here?"

Sarah felt offended. Not only were her parents riding her ass about taking her medication, but now the one person she relied on to not remind her of her responsibilities is too? She scoffed. "You said I was supposed to feel better after staying here for a while."

"I said your nightmares would clear up, I didn't say your depression would be magically cured." As soon as his words left him he immediately wanted to take them back. The last thing he wanted to do was make Sarah feel bad about her illness.

Sarah's mouth dropped open. "I can't believe you just said that." She sat up and crossed her arms.

Jareth sat up with her. "My magic can't cure you, Sarah."

Tears started falling down Sarah's cheeks before she could even wipe them from her eyes. "Well why not?" The tears were hot, leaving scorching trails down her cheeks. She didn't even bother to try to hide them or wipe them away. "You've reordered time but you can't fix me?"

"Sarah, you're not broken," Jareth said. He could feel his heart break with every sob she choked out.

"Then why do I feel like it?" Sarah croaked as she continued to cry. She leaned to the side, her head falling on Jareth's shoulder. "How do I get better?"

Jareth was surprised to feel Sarah leaning against him. In her most vulnerable state, she could finally trust him. That, or it was the alcohol. "You have to make the effort if you want to be better."

Sarah took a deep breath in. She always hated taking her medication. It was like admitting that she had a problem. Going to therapy and talking about how empty she felt was like solidifying her illnesses. She figured if she just ignored it they would fade away. She contemplated Jareth's words. After all these years of repressing everything and not getting anywhere, maybe she could change things.

She flopped back onto her back onto the pillows. "I don't think I can do it alone."

Jareth joined her, lying back onto the pillows. "Whoever said you were alone?"

Sarah glanced over at Jareth, who was staring back at her, those icy blue orbs leaving her with comfort. "Thank you," she whispered, smiling back at him. She sighed, suddenly feeling very drained of energy. But she didn't want him to leave. She wanted to know he would be beside her. Before knowing the great Goblin King, his presence made her uneasy, but now he gave her solace.

"I don't know if it's the alcohol talking," she hesitated. "No, I know it's the alcohol talking, because I would never admit this to you. But…could you spend the night with me?" She batted her green eyes innocently.

Jareth was certainly taken aback. He would have never, in a thousand years, thought he would be hearing those words come from Sarah's mouth. Well, he only dreamed that she would. Only _hoped_ that she would. _She's finally starting to warm up to me…_ he thought. _Or it's probably the alcohol. It's most definitely the alcohol._ "Of course, precious. I'd do anything for you."

Sarah chuckled sleepily and drunkenly. "Now _this_ is a crazy request, and I'm gonna be _sooooo_ embarrassed when I wake up tomorrow, but could you, like, maybe put your arm around me? Like….hold me?" She bit her lip and smiled cheekily. _Hey, might as well milk this while I have no responsibility over what I say!_ She thought.

Jareth raised his eyebrows in shock. He didn't know what to do. Sober Sarah would probably kill him when she saw that he was spooning her in the morning, but drunk Sarah was just so tempting. And, oh, how he's spent many a night yearning for the woman he loved to be in his arms! It seemed the risk greatly outweighed the safe.

"I mean," Sarah spoke up. "It's just harmless cuddling, right? I've cuddled with some of my best girlfriends before. Unless you're too uncomfortable, then that's totally fine. I mean I don't even know why I brought it up. It'snotlikeIhavefeelingsforyouoranythinglikethat," she slurred her last sentence.

"Sarah," he said in a low voice. "I will gladly cuddle you." Well, he never would have thought he'd ever say those words in his life.

Sarah smiled, feeling relieved. She turned her back to him and felt his arm wrap around her waist, feeling him inch closer to her. She felt the warmth of his chest then on her back. They were like two puzzle pieces fitting perfectly together. As Sarah sank deeper into his grasp, she giggled to herself. "You know," she whispered to him. "I had a dream about you last night." She giggled again at her confession.

Jareth lifted his head from the pillow and looked down at her. "You did now?" he asked, his attention clearly peaked.

"Yeah," she purred. "I even had to clean up when I woke up."

Now _that_ really grabbed his attention. "What was this dream about?" he asked casually, not trying to seem desperate. He waited a few seconds, but there was no answer from Sarah. Jareth knitted his brows together and shook her in his arms. "Sarah?"

Turning her over, he found that she was fast asleep. Mouth agape and drool already starting to pool.

Jareth sighed and lied back down beside her, tightening his arm around her. "What will I do with you, my precious?"

* * *

 **The song used in this chapter is Come On Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners.**

 **I'll try to get the next chapter out very soon! I'm on spring break now so I will definitely have more time for writing. As always, don't forget to review! They really do give me the inspiration to keep going. And if I don't get enough reviews, I won't update! Just a friendly reminder :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Feelings & Misunderstandings

**Sorry for such a long wait! My professors decided to assign all of their exams at the same time.**

* * *

Chapter 7

Sarah's eyes fixated on the wall in front of her, her green eyes still hazy from sleep. Golden sunlight streamed in through the windows and casted itself over the bedroom and the two figures lying on the bed. Even though Sarah had just woken up, her mind was racing as she tried to remember the events of the night before.

She remembered drinking way too much wine, and that Jareth had finally joined her in her bed chambers. But then things got a little hazy after that. She did, however, vaguely remember asking Jareth to spend the night with her. It wasn't the alcohol from the previous night making her stomach churn, it was the thought of embarrassing herself in front of the Goblin King.

 _Why would I ask him to stay the night with me?_ She pondered to herself. _And why do I feel this way?_ Her arms went to wrap around her fluttering stomach, but instead they came to a strong arm around her torso. Her eyes widened and her stomach fluttered even more. _Oh God, he really is spooning me!_ Her body went rigid, feeling a warm breath against her neck.

Sarah screamed internally, at least trying to keep it internal. She grazed his hand trying to bring her arms up to her chest. She was surprised at how soft it was. _Hmm, that's…actually pretty nice_ , she thought, relaxing a bit. She reached down again and, very softly, grazed the top of Jareth's hand with her fingers. Her fingers glided over the smooth skin, tracing the knuckles and along the length of his fingers. As she did, she felt her heart flutter. _What is this feeling?_

Slowly and carefully she took his hand in hers and brought it to her face, examining it. It was the first time she had ever seen it without gloves. He must've taken them off before he fell asleep. She examined the back of it; the alabaster skin, the veins that ran up it, his long and slender fingers… Sarah suddenly found herself caressing her cheek with his hand. As soon as the skin made contact, she felt a spark run down her spine and a jolt in her heart. It didn't hurt her, but instead it felt like a wave of pleasure.

Sarah dropped his hand, replacing it with her own. _Woah, what was that?_ She peered down at his hand again. _Hmm, I wonder…_ she took up his hand again, this time slowly and carefully entwining her fingers with his. The spark hit her once again, only this time it made her sit up. And not only her, but the sleeping man next to her.

Suddenly, with their fingers still intertwined, Jareth pulled gently, making Sarah turn to face him. The intensity in those blue mismatched eyes took her breath away. As they continued to hold hands, the spark just kept hitting her, and with every spark came a wave of pleasure. It took every bit of her not to moan, so she bit her bottom lip, locking the sounds inside her. Sarah could tell that Jareth felt it too, because with each wave that hit, he would squeeze her hand and tense up.

Sarah opened her mouth to finally say something, but was interrupted when her bed chamber doors flew open, and in strolled Griselda.

"Rise 'n shine, Lady Sar- oh," Griselda paused as soon as she noticed that Sarah was not alone in her bed. A single eyebrow shot up and a knowing smirk twisted on the old fae's mouth.

Jareth's gaze held onto Sarah's for what seemed like eternity, but finally he broke contact, taking his hand away from hers. As soon as their skin contact broke, the spark ceased, and the pleasurable waves halted. The intensity from his eyes fading, Jareth faced Griselda with a pleasant smile. "Good morning, Zelda," she stated in a cheery tone.

"Your Highness," Griselda responded, a bit puzzled.

Jareth pulled the blankets away, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "After breakfast please escort Sarah's new handmaidens up here to her bed chamber. I want Sarah ready by six P.M. sharp. We will arrive back here by eleven P.M.," he said, strolling away towards the door.

"Yes, your highness," Griselda responded while nodding.

Jareth turned to regard Sarah. "I will be awaiting your company in the dining hall, Sarah," he said, a hint of a smirk playing at his lips.

Sarah blinked as she watched him walk out of the room, mouth slightly agape. Her eyes finally fixated on Griselda as she moved about the room. "He…I…how…what was…" she sputtered, trying to make sense of everything that happened before Griselda arrived.

Griselda smiled a sweet smile, laying out a red brocade robe on the bed. "Since you fell asleep in the clothes you wore yesterday, after you wash up you can wear this."

Sarah kicked the blankets off of her, suddenly feeling a bit too warm. Groaning, she rubbed her face with her hands.

Griselda looked up from spreading the robe out and cocked her head to the side. "How did you sleep, dearie?"

Sarah perked up, taking her hands away from her face. "Why do you ask?" she questioned, afraid Griselda may think something happened between her and Jareth.

Griselda shrugged innocently. "You seem tired, is all."

Sarah shook her head. "No, I'm not tired at all. In fact, I feel quite refreshed," she said, trying to convince more herself than the old fae woman. "Did Jareth say something about handmaidens before he walked out?" she asked, trying to change the subject. She lifted herself from the bed and stretched her arms above her head, mewling as her bones crackled and her muscles contracted pleasantly.

Griselda nodded. "Two of the High Queen's Handmaidens will be provided for you to help get you ready for the big shindig tonight."

Sarah lifted her t-shirt over her head and tossed it on the bed. "What shindig?"

"Why, the Elven Ball, of course! 'Ave you already forgotten? King Jareth invited you to be his date for it just yesterday."

Sarah's face fell into her hands as she groaned loudly. "Aw man, I totally forgot! How am I supposed to attend a ball with a King? Especially now?"

"Why especially now?" Griselda asked inquisitively.

Sarah froze, her head still in her hands. What did she mean by that? Was it the spark she shared with Jareth just earlier? Was it the way she felt every time she was around him? The way her heart seemed to flutter out of control and her stomach fill with butterflies. _Does this mean…?_ Her stomach seemed to drop to the floor as soon as the idea came into her head. _Do I love the Goblin King?_ The room seemed to spin around her as she stood there, head in her hands, standing there in her bra and jeans. And as the realization came to her, she finally looked up. _I'm in love with Jareth!_

Sarah dropped to her knees, brows knit together in deep thought. As she sat there, Griselda watched her with a knowing look in her eyes. _Poor dearie,_ Griselda thought. _All of this must be so hard for her to process._ She cleared her throat before saying, "Wash up, dearie. You won't want to keep his majesty waiting." With a twinkle in her eye, she smiled and left the room, leaving Sarah to think and gather her emotions.

As Jareth freshened up in his bed chamber, he racked his mind. Last night had been the best sleep of his life hands down. To have Sarah asleep in his arms was one of the best feelings in the world. But what was making him contemplate was one of the feelings he had just earlier.

 _As Jareth slept, he was having such a wonderful dream. Sarah, in traditional Underground wedding garb, surrounded by golden sunrays that flooded into the throne room from a window. Holding a bundle of white orchids, roses, lilies, and hydrangeas, she stood there, a vision in white lace and satin, a long white veil shrouding her face._

 _Jareth reached out, lifting the veil and revealing Sarah's blushing face. She was absolutely stunning. Her chocolate brown hair cascaded down her shoulders in big, luscious curls, her emerald eyes that shined bright at him, surrounded by full, black lashes, cheeks blushing a faint pink, and lips that set into a smile as pink as the sun setting sky._

 _"Jareth," she spoke, her voice soft and melodic. "I love you." As she spoke, her smile grew bigger and bigger, making her eyes smile as well, as if just looking at him would make her explode with happiness._

 _Jareth mirrored her joy, a crooked smile spreading across his face. "I've always loved you," he responded, his hand reaching out to touch her cheek. When his skin made contact, a sudden wave of electricity shot through him, then leaving him with a wave of pleasure. His brows knit together with confusion. He reeled his hand in, staring down at it. When he looked back up, Sarah was still beaming at him._

 _"Sarah," he said, quite concerned. "What was that?" As soon as he asked, another wave of shock and pleasure hit him, this time more intense. The feeling was absolutely incredible. So incredible that it woke him from his deep slumber._

 _When he awoke, he found Sarah holding his hand with quite a grip, her green eyes bugging out and staring down at their clasped hands. When he awoke he also had the strongest urge to wrap her up in his arms and give her the most passionate kiss of her life. He reeled his hand in, the motion whipping Sarah around to face him. Staring at each other now, the intense waves of delightful pleasure still waved through him. He could tell that it was hitting her too, because with each pulsating wave, she would bite her lip harder and harder. But as soon as Griselda interrupted, Jareth let go, releasing them from the sensation._

It was the most peculiar thing, and as he dressed himself it was all he thought about. He had never experienced it before. It made him feel so many things at once: desire, love, and lust. All for Sarah. He shook his head, trying to void his head of anymore thoughts. Whatever it was, he knew not. He would have to take it up with someone far wiser than him. But it would have to be after the ball.

After Sarah washed up, she left her hair wet, wrapped herself in the robe, and tiptoed to the dining hall. After her realization of her feelings, she didn't know how she was going to face Jareth. She didn't want to seem awkward, but now that she knew she loved him it was no going back. She felt like she was in high school again, crushing on the boy in homeroom and trying to avoid any possible contact with him so she couldn't make a fool out of herself. Sarah knew she couldn't avoid Jareth, especially with the ball tonight. She was just going to have to suck it up and try to act normal. But normal for Sarah was not always so normal for everyone else.

Slipping into the room, she found Jareth sitting there in his normal spot. Giving a bashful smile, she slowly made her way over to her seat and sat down, all while avoiding his gaze. As soon as she sat down, the Goblin and Elf servants came out toting plates full of food and a pot full of coffee. Once her food was in front of her, Sarah was quick to pick up her fork and shovel food into her mouth.

Jareth watched her as she avoided his gaze and stuffed her mouth. He recognized this behavior from her first day at the castle. She didn't want to be around him. He guessed it was because of what had happened earlier that morning. Taking a sip of the black coffee that was in his mug, he watched her silently as he also tried to get his bearings together. After a moment of complete silence, he decided he should probably speak up to break the tension. "How was your sleep, precious?" he asked, and then realized she would probably be embarrassed by the question seeing as they had spent the night together.

Sarah slowly looked up from her fork to finally make eye contact. "Um…" she whispered, lowering her utensil to her plate. "It was good," she said in a hushed voice. "You?"

Jareth cleared his throat and took another sip of hot coffee. "It was very nice," he said nonchalantly, trying not to bring up anything about the night.

Sarah heaved a heavy sigh, pushing her nearly empty plate away from her. "Jareth," she spoke in a serious manner. "I'm not the best at confrontation, but if you're even going to avoid it, it must be something of importance." She eyed him from her peripheral vision to watch his reaction.

Jareth clasped his hands under his chin and stared down at the table. This time he was at a loss for words. And that made him quite uncomfortable. He thought he had the answers to everything, but the events of that morning had his head spinning. "It is something of importance," he responded in a just as serious tone. "Of what importance, I do not know."

Sarah's brows knit together with apprehension. "You don't know?" she questioned rhetorically. "But you're the Goblin King, how do you not know?"

"My kingship has nothing to do with the amount of knowledge I hold, Sarah," he said, his voice sounding a little on edge.

Sarah sunk down into her chair. "It was so weird. Wasn't it so weird? I mean, you _did_ feel it too, right?"

Jareth nodded, tapping a gloved finger on his chin, pondering. "Yes, I _did_ feel it. And _it_ I know not of. The sensation has never happened to me before."

Sarah scoffed. "Well it's never happened to _me_ before either! Are you sure it's not just some of your magic trying to do something?"

"I don't know Sarah," Jareth retorted, sounding more and more frustrated. He pushed his barely eaten food away and stood. "We don't have time to be asking each other questions to answers we don't know. We need to get ready for the ball tonight. We can worry about this tomorrow."

Sarah gulped down the last bit of coffee in her mug. "But we're going to my parent's house tomorrow, remember? My mom _ever so graciously_ invited you to my family's annual Christmas party." Sarah stood as well, crossing her arms and popping out her hip.

Jareth cursed to himself under his breath. "Ah yes, the mortal yule celebration." Jareth started to pace the floor. "I'll need to consult with someone before we leave. It shouldn't take long. I'll have Griselda pack your things tonight so that we will be ready to go by tomorrow."

Sarah nodded, a small frown gracing her lips. "Okay well…I guess I'll get going now," she said, starting toward the door. As she walked toward her room, Sarah couldn't help but focus on the tinge of annoyance in Jareth's voice. _Is it because I was asking all of those questions?_ She wondered. _Or is it just because he doesn't know the answers?_ She decided to just shrug it off as she pushed on the doors to her bed chamber and scuffled in.

Griselda was there, talking to two young women who stood side by side with smiles on their faces. Griselda looked back at Sarah when she heard the doors creak open, her lined face twisting into her usual cheery smile. "Good morning, Lady Sarah! I hope your breakfast was to your liking."

Sarah gave a small smile to the old fae woman. "As always, Zelda, thank you."

"Well, as you know his Highness assigned you a pair of handmaidens," Griselda said, presenting the two girls before her. "These are your ladies in waiting- Delia," the girl on the left curtsied. "And Dimitra," then the girl on the right mirrored.

The girls were spitting images of each other, except for the fact that Delia's hair was baby pink and Dimitra's hair was baby blue. Both of their hair was cut short in a pixie cut, their eyes were as purple as lilacs, freckles sprinkled across their cheeks and noses, and dimples on either side of their smiles. They wore plain linen dresses with aprons wrapped around their torso like Griselda.

"It is so good to meet you, Lady Sarah," Delia said, her voice twinkling with delight.

"It is an honor to serve the King's guest," Dimitra followed up, her voice sounding almost identical.

"They will be helping you to get ready for the ball tonight," Griselda said, shuffling herself towards the door. "You'll be in great hands, Lady Sarah." With a wink and a smile, the old fae woman slipped out of the room, leaving the three young women alone.

Sarah smiled nervously at the twins as they both grinned at her. "So," she hesitated, running her fingers through her hair. "How long have you two been maids?"

"We've been working in the castle since we were small," Dimitra said, then glanced at her sister.

"But we've recently been hand chosen by the Queen to be handmaidens," Delia responded. "But since her highness already has twenty other personal handmaidens, King Jareth asked to borrow us for his guest."

Dimitra's eyes twinkled as she looked back at Sarah. "We've never been in company with a mortal before!" she squealed, her eyes growing big.

Delia rested her hand on Dimitra's shoulder. "Sister, we must not get too excitable in front of our Lady," she said in a hushed tone.

Sarah waved lightheartedly. "No it's fine. I don't want you guys to feel like you have to act someway you're not," she said, an idea sparking in her mind. "We can just cut the formality, really. You can call me Sarah, I call you by your names, no 'Lady' this or 'Miss' that. How about you two just…fix me up for this ball thing and we can just be friends?"

Dimitra and Delia looked at each other, both raising a colorful brow at each other.

"Well, I don't know," Delia stated, blushing down at her shoes.

Dimitra's face was lit up at the possibility of a new friend. "But could we?"

"It's not our place."

"But we could?"

"I don't know…"

"But she said!"

"I know!"

"We will!" Dimitra's smile was beaming ear to ear, looking up at Sarah, awaiting her approval.

Sarah slowly nodded. "Yeah, I mean you guys won't get in trouble if I'm the one who wanted it, right?"

Delia pursed her lips, thinking. "You're correct, Lady- I mean…Sarah," she said, cringing when she corrected herself.

Sarah couldn't help but give a little laugh to herself. _These girls are definitely…unique. But then again, who isn't in the Underground?_

Sarah took her seat at the vanity in her bathroom as the twins got to work. Dimitra laid out Sarah's dress carefully on the bed, smoothing over the delicate material with a gentle hand. She then retrieved a box, pulling out white satin pumps with crystal embellishment on the pointed toe. Dimitra then pulled out a small, navy blue suede bag from her apron, revealing a silver pendent necklace; in the middle of the pendant sat a polished round crystal. Next, she revealed a pair of dangling crystal earrings to match.

In the bathroom, Delia was making Sarah up. With her hair pushed back, Sarah sat there with her eyes closed tight as Delia swept a sparkly baby pink eyeshadow across her lid. As she did this, Sarah decided to make small talk. "So, what's the Queen like?" she asked, biting her lip.

Delia paused for a moment, thinking of what to say. "Well," she said, continuing her work. "The Queen is…" she hesitated on her words.

"It's okay, you can be honest. We're all friends here, remember?" Sarah said with a supporting smile.

Delia nodded her head, still continuing on her work. "She's beautiful, probably the most beautiful Queen in the Underground. So beautiful but…intimidating. She can be quite harsh sometimes," she said, cringing at the thought of the High Queen hearing her words.

"Yeah," Dimitra said, strolling into the bathroom. "She can be quite insistent on things."

Delia's eye widened and nodded in agreement. "Oh yes, more like _demanding_. You know she's making Jareth go to the ball as a punishment?"

Sarah's eyelids shot up, looking straight up at Delia. "Punishment for what?" she asked.

"For tampering with a mortal's dreams. He gave the mortal pleasant dreams in exchange for the nightmare the human was having," Delia said, dabbing a light pink blush across Sarah's cheeks for that 'just-pinched' look.

Dimitra suddenly gasped, a look a happy realization spreading across her face. "Was that mortal you, Sarah?" she asked.

Sarah hesitated before answering. _What do I say? If word gets out to the High Queen that it was me, she'd probably be all over my ass. She clearly has no idea who I am._ She swallowed hard, not knowing what to say. "Um," she stammered. "Y-Yeah, that was me…"

Dimitra grinned and clapped her hands excitedly. "I knew it! You're the only mortal King Jareth knows!"

Sarah waved Dimitra away. "Anyway, so why did the Queen make the Elven Ball a punishment?"

Delia cleared her throat and leaned in, as if she had a juicy secret. "No one else knows this in the Underground, but King Jareth and the Elf Queen were intended to be engaged."

Dimitra made an audible gasp behind Sarah as she brushed through her chocolate tresses.

Sarah's stomach fell to the floor and she even forgot to breathe. She finally took an inhale in, waiting for Delia to continue.

"When they looked to be about your age," Delia continued. "The High King and Queen arranged with the Elven King and Queen to have Jareth and the princess to be betrothed. Jareth and the princess tried to make it work, but two months into their engagement the princess called off the wedding and Jareth was forced to take on the crown without a queen. And with much arguing and law changing on the Elf Council, the Elf Queen became the first female monarch to become a queen without first marrying a king." She combed through Sarah's lashes with thick coats of black mascara. "She's a real feminist icon around the Underground, you know."

Sarah's head felt like it was spinning. She felt like she needed to lie down, but Dimitra was in the midst of pinning her hair into tight coils against her scalp. _The Elf Queen…_ Sarah thought, panicking to herself. _That's the woman Jareth is waiting to come back to him. He's in love with her…_ Sarah felt like such a fool. How could such a powerful king be in love with such a weak, stupid mortal girl? She felt like throwing herself onto her bed and crying into her pillows.

Dimitra stopped her progress. "The Elf Queen is hosting the Thane of Hobbits at her palace over the week in the purpose of courtship. He's supposed to be the main guest at the ball. But the High Queen wants Jareth to go to intervene."

The more the twins gabbed on about Jareth and the Elf Queen, the more Sarah fell into the darkest part of her mind. She sank into her chair, arms crossing in front of her. "I don't think I can go to this ball anymore…" she said just above a whisper.

The twins gasped, all 4 eyes on her. "But you must go, Sarah!" Dimitra demanded.

"Yeah, we've already started dolling you all up," Delia retorted.

Sarah bit her lip, starting to doubt herself and why she'd even there. "I'm supposed to be Jareth's date, and I don't want to get in the way of him trying to get the Elf Queen back."

Dimitra pouted her lips out, but then her eyes lips up with an idea. "You can still go, Sarah! There will be plenty of royal bachelors there."

Delia smiled and batted her lashes at the thought of all of those rich, single men. "Can you imagine? Perhaps a fine duke will fancy you and ask you to dance?"

"And then he'll sweep you off of your feet, falling madly in love with you! He'll lead you to the balcony and kiss you passionately in the moonlight!" Dimitra had a dreamy look on her face.

The only thing Sarah could think about was Jareth doing all those things to her. She swallowed hard before saying, "I don't know…"

Dimitra squeezed Sarah's shoulders. "You _have_ to go, Sarah! If nothing else, just to have a good time and make some friends." Sarah watched Dimitra's face in the vanity mirror. Her eyes were wide with wonderment, as if imagining herself at the ball.

Sarah sighed. She knew she had to go. She realized Dimitra and Delia were living vicariously through her. They want details of the ball so that they could dream about it themselves. Being maids, they were probably never going to attend a ball in their life. Even most of the girls from her world could only dream of attending a royal ball. Sarah should be counting herself lucky, even if the man she loved was only going with her to get his ex-fiancée back.

"Alright I'll go," Sarah gave in.

The two girls giggled to each other giddily. "Good!" Delia said, picking up her makeup brush again. "Let's get you all finished up here!"

By the time Dimitra and Delia got Sarah all ready, it was already close to six o'clock. They were running late.

"They're running late," Jareth stated, snapping his pocket watch shut and shoving it back into his jacket pocket.

Griselda looked back at the big clock mounted on the wall of the foyer. "Well, I'm sure they'll be here soon, your highness."

"I told you to tell those girls to have Sarah ready by six P.M. sharp," he said quite snappish.

Griselda was about to tell him that she did, when Dimitra and Delia slipped into the foyer through the massive double doors. "We are sorry to keep you waiting, your majesty," the two said in sync, curtsying in respect.

Dimitra stepped forward excitedly. "But we think the wait is worth the while," she said with a smile and a sparkle in her eye.

The twins reached behind them, grabbing the doorknobs, and pulling them in either direction, revealing what was behind it.

Sarah stood there, swathed in her elaborate dress. Her hair fell in big curls on the bottom and teased into a bouffant on top, two braids on either side coming together to tie in the back. Her rosy cheeks blushed furiously as she watched them all stare at her. "It's too much, isn't it?" she finally spoke.

Jareth was awestruck, and for the first time in his life he had no words, so Griselda was the first to speak up. "Of course not, dearie, you look absolutely breath taking," the old woman said with a warm grin. She stepped close to Sarah, taking her hand and squeezing it.

"I don't remember the last time I wore lipstick," Sarah said with a smile, her teeth shining bright against the crimson lipstick. She finally looked to Jareth. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, approval, attraction, just something other than nothing.

A hint of a smile teased at the corners of his mouth as he watched her. He found her to be absolutely breath taking, but he didn't want to react too strongly. Knowing Dimitra and Delia for being heavy gossipers, he didn't want word going around the castle that the King was smitten with his guest. Especially to his mother. Even though all he wanted to do was take Sarah up in his arms, spin her around, and kiss her all over her face, he found some restraint and admired her from afar.

"What do you think, your highness?" Griselda prodded, raising an eye to Jareth.

"She does look quite 'royal ball material'," Dimitra said, getting an elbow in the ribs from her sister.

"Do not speak out of turn," Delia chastised her twin.

"It's okay," Sarah told the two maids with a smile.

"I'm not saying it was a tough transformation, I'm just saying that it's hard to tell that she hasn't brushed her hair in days before this," Dimitra jested.

Sarah side-eyed her maid. "Okay, watch it," she sneered.

All the women looked toward the Goblin King, waiting for an answer. Jareth raised his eyebrows, searching for his right words. _She's as beautiful as ever and no amount of jewelry or makeup can enhance it any more than she already is,_ was what he wanted to say. But what he ended up saying was, "Very appropriate for a ball." As soon as the words escaped him he wanted to punch himself.

Sarah's face fell flat and Griselda glared at the king.

Clearing his throat nervously, Jareth held out his arm for Sarah to take. "We should be leaving now. It takes about two hours to get to the Elf Kingdom by carriage."

Sarah walked over to him and hesitantly took his arm, her heels clicking on the hard floor. As soon as the two walked out of the huge double doors of the castle, Griselda turned to the two maids.

"That man can be quite stubborn sometimes," the old woman said to the girls.

Delia raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"' _Very appropriate for a ball'_ , he said! As if she didn't take his breath away," Griselda complained.

Dimitra's brows knitted together with confusion. "Maybe he's just trying to stay loyal to the Elf Queen?"

Griselda was now confused too. "What does that have anything to do with this?"

"He's going to the ball to stop the courtship of the Queen and Thane, right?" Delia asked.

Griselda nodded. "I presume so, Jareth would never allow that to happen."

"Because he's going to marry the Elf Queen!" Dimitra squealed excitedly.

"What?!" Griselda exclaimed.

"You didn't know?" Delia asked.

Griselda shook her head. "King Jareth isn't going to marry Queen Luella, you twits!"

Delia and Dimitra both looked at each other with puzzlement. "But the High Queen said-" they both said in unison.

"King Jareth is in love with _Sarah,_ you gits!" Griselda shouted in frustration at the two.

Delia and Dimitra now turned to each other with astonishment on their faces. "OH!" they both exclaimed. Then they gasped, realizing what they had said to Sarah and realizing what that must have done to her self-esteem. " _OH NO!"_

 _"What did you blubbering idiots tell Sarah?"_ Griselda fumed, the old fae woman going red in the face.

* * *

 **I am so excited to be writing the next chapter! So much is going to happen. And hang in there! The romance will becoming soon! Stay tuned...**


	8. Chapter 8: The Elven Ball

**HALLELUJAH IT'S FINALLY HERE! I don't know why this chapter took so long to finish, but it's like I got towards the end and I suddenly got writers block. But hopefully the next chapter will make it's way here sooner! Sorry for the wait, hope you enjoy~**

* * *

Sarah sat there in the carriage across from Jareth, a million things running through her head. Will Jareth stay with Sarah at the ball or will he leave her for the Elf Queen? What if another man does try to flirt with her like Delia and Dimitra said? How is she supposed to act at a royal ball? Does she tell people that she's a human mortal? But there was one question that Sarah was wondering ever since they took off in the carriage. "Why do we have to ride in a carriage if you can, like…teleport places with your magic?" she asked.

Jareth chuckled, turning his head to her from looking out of the window. "The Elf Queen wishes everyone she invites to arrive by transportation other than magic. She's quite fond of extravagant entrances. You'll see that when we arrive."

Sarah nodded and slumped down into her seat. "How do you know the Elf Queen…?" she asked hesitantly.

"She's a good friend," Jareth said, crossing his leg over the other. "We've been friends for centuries, actually."

Sarah didn't seem satisfied with the answer, so she decided to prod a little more. "So, how did you two meet?"

Jareth tilted his head up slightly, looking toward the roof of the carriage they rode in, trying to remember so long ago. "Well, our parents knew each other and were in business together, so to say. When my family needed more housekeepers, they could request for more help from the elf kingdom, and house elves would be sent to the castle right away. And vice versa for the Elf King and Queen. Since our parents were so close, we became close as well. We've been friends ever since."

Sarah glared at the Goblin King for a moment before looking away out the window. _He's avoiding telling me about their engagement,_ she thought, watching the passing landscape as they rode by. _I can't believe he's keeping this from me._ She sat back and watched out the window for the entire hour and a half ride.

Jareth tried to make small talk with Sarah throughout the ride, but he could sense something was wrong. The way her brows were slightly knit together, the small crease between them, her folded arms, her tense posture, and the way she avoided his gaze. He knew these characteristics. It's the way his mother would act when she was upset with his father. She was mad.

 _But what would she be mad for?_ He thought, looking out the window as well. _I don't think I've done anything. Has Griselda told her something? No, she was either with me or doing her house work duties. Maybe her handmaids? They have been known to gossip…_ Jareth looked up to see Sarah's face. It was a sort of serene with a hint of annoyance. He could tell that she was thinking of something, the small wrinkle between her brows giving that away.

"Sarah, what are you thinking about?" he finally asked.

Sarah looked up from the window at Jareth and scowled. "Nothing," she said and shrugged.

Jareth raised an eyebrow. "Okay," he said, not buying it one bit. "Why are you upset?"

"I'm _not_ upset," Sarah said with a tinge of annoyance.

"Look, we are about to arrive in the Elf Kingdom. I just want tonight to go smoothly-"

"So you can get your fiancée back…" she muttered to herself, turning her cheek to him again.

Jareth was surely surprised to hear what she had said. In fact, it took him a moment to realize that she knew. But how she knew, he would surely find out. And deliver punishment for whoever told her. "What are you talking about, Sarah?" he tried to pry, to see just how much Sarah did know.

Sarah looked back at him, wetness in her eyes. "I may be a stupid little mortal, but I will not be made a fool of in front of hundreds of people." Her voice wobbled as she spoke, and she cursed herself for getting emotional.

"I'm not trying to make you look like a fool. Why would you think that?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?!" Her voice raised, a tear escaping, as much as she tried to conceal them. "I know you're only going to this ball to get the Elf Queen back so you can marry her. Why did you invite me just to stand me up? To make me look like an idiot? Is this payback for defeating you and your labyrinth? For taking away your power over me?"

Jareth was taken aback. "Do you still really think me the villain of your past? That I would do that to you, Sarah?"

"I don't know what to think anymore," Sarah said in a small voice, crossing her arms. She didn't want to confront him like this. She told herself to just stay quiet throughout the ball, but her emotions decided to get the best of her. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke. "Are you just going to stand me up there? To get her back?"

Jareth looked bewildered. He had no clue how she came up with the conclusion that he was going to leave her. "I would never stand you up, Sarah." He said and then sighed. "It is true, the Elf Queen and I were betrothed at some point in time, but it was a _very_ long time ago. It was only because our kingdoms were so intertwined with business and our parents were close. We ended the engagement for reasons we could not control. We've just been very good friends since. Neither of us have any feelings for each other."

Sarah felt her cheeks ignite with humiliation. "So…you're not going just to intervene the courtship?"

Jareth smirked. "Well, I'm still going to intervene, but not for that reason."

Sarah raised an eyebrow in puzzlement while Jareth chuckled at her reaction.

Feeling a little less anxious but still very confused, Sarah sat back and enjoyed the rest of the carriage ride to the Elf Kingdom. The landscape she watched out of the window was absolutely breathtaking. She'd never seen land quite like it. The mountainous hills in the background, lush fields of green speckled with rows of wild flowers so bright and vibrant they looked to be unreal. As the sun set behind the hills, the sky glittered a soft pink and purple with ribbons of yellow and orange. Sarah thought that just the scenery alone could cure any negative thought or feeling she felt in her body.

Sarah thought nothing could be any more beautiful, but as they finally rode into the Elf Kingdom she saw that she was mistaken. Her breath hitched as she took in the surroundings. The buildings were high and pointed at the top, the streets were lined with cobblestones, and fountains were fed by streams that flowed through the town by channels. Lights were strewn from one building to the next to help light up the street. Some elves walked along the pavement, watching the carriage ride along the road, some pointing and smiling as they passed.

Sarah noticed the characteristics of the elves. They were very tall, with long, graceful limbs and fair long hair. Their complexion was milky and smooth. Altogether just…beautiful. Beautiful people to match their beautiful kingdom. Sarah could only imagine what their queen would look like.

Soon enough their carriage rode up to a very large iron gate decorated in gold filigree. Two elves stood on either side of the gates, and as soon as the carriage pulled up, the two walked to the middle of the gate and pushed it, separating it and allowing the carriage to ride through.

Sarah examined the palace from the window. Upon arriving, they rode down a cobblestone path lined on either side by elegant shrub sculptures that looked like enormous elves dressed in robes. A large fountain that cascaded crystal blue water sat in the middle of a large circle which they rounded to arrive at the very front of the palace.

Sarah was surprised to see what appeared to be a lot of normal looking people. Sure they were all dressed in elaborate gowns and robes, but other than that they looked like normal humans.

Puzzled, Sarah looked to Jareth. "Everyone looks like normal people," she said.

Jareth chuckled at her bewilderment. "What? Did you expect fairy wings and goat legs?"

Sarah hesitated, pondering on what she really was expecting. "Actually…something along those lines."

Jareth laughed aloud at Sarah's frankness.

When the carriage came to a halt, their driver opened the door for them. Jareth was the first to step out, holding out his hand for Sarah to take. When Sarah stepped out, she felt all the eyes of those who were standing around outside. Some looked perplexed, some side-eyed her and then carried on with their conversation, some smiled half-heartedly.

Sarah took a big breath in, trying to calm her now growing anxiety. But when she looked up at Jareth, who still held her hand and looked back at her with a comforting gaze, the butterflies in her nerves seem to wane a little. She breathed out shakily, and took Jareth's arm as they strolled toward the castle entrance.

As they strolled down the path toward the open doors, Sarah could hear the murmurs of their people around them.

"King Jareth is looking as handsome as ever."

"Yes, but who is the girl on his arm?"

"You think maybe he's courting?"

"Well _I_ didn't hear anything about it!"

"The girl smells of the human world."

"What kingdom does she hail from?"

"She has a pixie like face, but I've never seen her in the royal Pixie court."

When Jareth and Sarah entered the ballroom, Sarah's breath was absolutely taken away. The room was gargantuan, large floor to ceiling windows lined the walls and golden and white curtains were pulled around them. The walls and the floors seemed almost pearlescent and the ceiling was painted like the heavens. A massive golden staircase with dark red carpeting opened to the front of the room.

Many more people were gathered inside, conversing, laughing, and dancing while the musicians played. Inside, Sarah found that the idea of what the people would have looked like in her head was actually true. Sarah did find a few guests with their glittering wings draped in fabrics and fauns and centaurs intermingled with the other guests.

Sarah looked up at Jareth in wonderment, which made Jareth chuckle again. Her amazement with the world he lived in amused him. _Soon this will be your world too, precious,_ he thought as he watched her gawk at the Fae people.

As the couple made their way to the center of the room, trumpets suddenly rang through the air, making everyone turn their attention to the grand staircase. As soon as the trumpets stopped, the graceful sound of harps filled the air into a melodic chorus. Double doors at the top of the staircase opened up, revealing a woman dressed in a white and gold ball gown, and as she stepped gracefully down the stairs the long train of her dress trailed behind her and the long white and gold sleeves of her dress dipped and kissed the stairs beneath her. Her white hair was intricately braided down her back, and a golden crown sat atop her head.

Everyone watched with a smiled and awed at her magnificence. "That is the Elf Queen," Jareth whispered into Sarah's ear as she stared, mouth agape in amazement.

"She's…" Sarah started to say, trying to think of a word to best describe the beautiful woman descending from what seemed like the heavens. "Breath taking."

Jareth smirked, watching Sarah's face as it lit up with wonder. "Don't tell her that," he joked.

When the queen reached the bottom of the stairs, she beamed a wonderfully pearly smile at everyone she made eye contact with.

"Come," Jareth beckoned, tugged on Sarah's hand. "Let's wait by the balcony doors."

"Wait for what?" Sarah asked, but instead of an answer, she was whisked away from the crowd and towards the back of the room where doors to the outside balcony stood.

"She'll say hello to all the important stiffs first, then she'll meet us over here," Jareth said in Sarah's ear.

His breath tickled her ear and sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. Out of the way of the crowd and all the murmurs and whispers about her, Sarah finally felt safe and comfort in the back of the ball room with Jareth. Now that her head was a little clearer she noticed something she hadn't before. Jareth was also wearing the same clothing from her peach dream back from her run of the Labyrinth. That blue embellished jacket, the ruffled shirt beneath it, and the blue streaks throughout his blonde hair.

When she noticed this her breath hitched a little. All the feelings from that moment in time came flooding back to her. Confusion, awestruck, and a strange feeling of longing. But now that feeling wasn't so strange to her. She knew why she longed for him now, but that feeling might never be fulfilled due to her cowardice to tell him how she felt.

Sarah pulled her gaze away from the man standing next to her just in time to notice the Elf Queen making her way towards them with a giant grin on her face. As she strode, she seemed as though to be floating elegantly towards them. Up this close, Sarah could make out the facial features of the Queen. Her pointed ears were adorned with golden earrings that lined the whole outer ear. Her hazel eyes were piercing, flecked with gold that seemed to sparkle under the lights. Her full lips held behind them a smile that could stun even the blind. Her golden skin was what set her apart from the other elves. Her people were of a more alabaster, powdery complexion, where hers was like a warm glow, and her white-ish blonde hair contrasted well with it.

"Jareth, you scoundrel!" The Queen greeted the two with open arms, taking Jareth into a hug first but stopping at Sarah. "And who is this beautiful creature?"

Jareth grinned proudly at Sarah. "This is the champion of my Labyrinth."

"Ah, Jareth, the words that you have told me before to describe this lady before me do not measure up to her radiance." The Queen took Sarah by the hand and gave a small peck with her lips.

Sarah had to look up at the queen, the woman being at least a foot and a half taller than she. "Oh, um…" Sarah stood awkwardly as the queen returned her hand and smiled down at her.

"This is Luella," Jareth said as he gave the queen a warning look. "Queen of the Elven kingdom, and always the charmer. But don't fall for her charm so easily, she _is_ being courted by the thane of the Hobbits. Speaking of, where is your courtier?"

Luella curled her lip up in disgust. "As if I give any cares in all of the Underground where that hairy little man is. Probably off flirting with some pretty boy prince somewhere."

"Oh? So you are positive now?"

Luella nodded, then looked down at Sarah. "You see, Sarah, the thane of the Hobbits is only courting me to squash the rumor that he is fond of men." She and Jareth then looked at each other, then burst into laughter. "At least we have one thing in common! We both don't find attraction for each other."

Sarah raised an eyebrow with confusion. "What does that mean?" she asked.

Jareth leaned in to Sarah's ear to whisper in it, once again a shiver running down her spine. "Luella has been in love with the pixie princess ever since we were engaged to be married. That's why she broke it off."

It was like pieces of a puzzle were finally coming together to form a picture in front of Sarah. It all made sense now. "So, you're trying to intervene the courtship because Luella is in love with the Pixie Princess." It all clicked in Sarah's mind as soon as the words came out of her mouth.

Jareth confirmed her thinking by nodding. "She would be much happier with the one she loves." Jareth and Sarah made eye contact for a moment. And for a moment Sarah thought she saw Jareth lean in closer to her, but they were interrupted when Luella gasped.

Sarah and Jareth turned to see Luella turned away from them, gazing off into the distance in the crowd. "There she is. Oh she's so beautiful…" She turned to them again smiled dreamily. "She's right there, do you see her, Sarah?"

Sarah followed where Luella discretely pointed. There in the crowd Sarah found who Luella was talking about. Instead of a tiny, winged creature Sarah always thought pixies were, there stood a young woman that looked to be maybe a few years older than Sarah. She had very short black hair that slightly curled up at the nape of her neck, a small rounded face with big, round brown eyes, and freckles sprinkled across her cherub-like face. She was in the middle of a conversation with someone when she glanced over at the three huddled in the back of the ball room. When she saw Luella, her cheeks grew a hot pink and she gave a cheeky smile before returning back to the person she was talking to.

Luella grinned ear to ear. "Did you see that? She smiled at me. She's _so_ adorable."

Sarah nodded with a smile of her own. "She is cute, I have to say."

"Have you met with her yet?" Jareth asked.

Luella shook her head. "No, not yet. But I met with her just last night. Our secret nightly rendezvous are becoming more passionate. We kissed almost our whole meeting. Oh, how she felt in my arms…it's been driving me wild!"

"Well, now you can tell her that," he said, looking past Luella at the princess walking towards them.

Luella turned and greeted the princess with a smile. "Narrisa," she said fondly.

Narrisa smiled back at her then waved at Jareth. "I didn't know the Goblin King was going to be present this ball."

"I wouldn't dream of missing it," Jareth said, putting an arm around Sarah's waist. "Because this time I have a date with me."

Sarah's cheeks grew pink at the contact Jareth made. It felt so intimate, they were already so close, but Jareth pulled them closer when he put his arm around her waist, their sides touching. Sarah gave a polite smile to Narrisa.

"Oh, you're date? Where did you get her, Jareth? She's very pretty," Narrisa complimented and gave Sarah a wink.

"She is the champion of my labyrinth." Every time he said that he felt proud. The love of his life was his champion. The only one to ever conquer his labyrinth. Almost makes up for the fact that she rejected him and took away the power he had over her.

After Sarah and Narrisa were introduced to each other, Narrisa grabbed hold of Luella's arm and looked up at her with flirtatious eyes. "If you two will please excuse us, I'd like to take this lovely lady away and introduce her to the King and Queen of the Pixies."

Sarah and Jareth both raised their brows at Luella, who looked just as surprised. "I'm meeting your parents?"

Narrisa nodded and giggled. "You'll be fine, they love elves."

As the couple walked away, Sarah turned to Jareth. "Aren't pixies supposed to be…tiny?"

Jareth chuckled at Sarah's naiveté. "All magical beings have the power to put on glamour. Without her glamour, Narrisa is the size of a grape. Not very convenient for socializing with people ten times bigger then you are."

"Oh," Sarah said with a nod. As they stood there, the band started up with another song. It was slow and melodic, the piano and harps ringing through the room as people danced.

Jareth took Sarah by the hand and started to lead her onto the dance floor. "Care to dance?"

Sarah hesitated and pulled back. "D-Dance? No, I can't-"

"We've danced before, precious, I know you can dance," he said, pulling her onto the dancefloor.

With one hand on his shoulder and another in his gloved hand, they swayed together to the music. Sarah tried to avoid his eyes, trying not to be awkward, so she stared at her feet as they moved. Jareth placed a finger under her chin and raised it so that she would look at him. Sarah blushed for the umpteenth time that day.

"You're blushing," Jareth noticed, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Sarah bit her bottom lip and couldn't help but smile. "It seems like I've been doing that a lot today." She chuckled lightly. "So, Luella seemed to know who I was. Do you…talk about me?"

Jareth smiled sheepishly. "I suppose I'm caught, aren't I?" He twirled Sarah around, springing forth a giggle from her.

Sarah felt like a giddy school girl around her high school crush. The fact that Jareth has talked about her meant that she was on his mind. Smiling happily, she threw her arms over Jareth's shoulders as they swayed.

Jareth wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close as they danced. He could feel her resting her chin on his shoulder and heard her sigh. It made his heart fill with joy to see her so content in his arms.

He suddenly had an idea. Using his magic, the dancing forms of the fae creatures around them faded away. The only people in the room now were Jareth, Sarah, and the band, whose song started to fade out and another song start to play.

When Sarah looked around, she noticed that they were the only two people in the ballroom. Looking up at Jareth, she gave him an inquisitive look. "What are you doing?" she asked. Her ears caught the melody of the song that the band started to play, her heart lurching at the familiarity of it.

Jareth grinned at Sarah's revelation and twirled her around the empty dancefloor. He leaned into her ear and began to sing to her.

 _"There's such a sad love deep in your eyes. A kind of pale jewel, open and closed within your eyes. I'll place the sky within your eyes…"_

Sarah closed her eyes and listened to Jareth sing sweetly into her ear as he led her, twirling her throughout the now empty ballroom. It felt as though they were gliding through the space. She felt so at peace in that moment. The only thing on her mind was how close his lips were to her ear… _"My god, what is he trying to do to me?_

 _"Falling…._

 _Falling…._

 _Falling in love…."_

As the song came to an end, Sarah was afraid to open her eyes again. _What if this is all just a beautiful dream? When I wake up I'll be in bed in my apartment, all the magic gone, and all the sadness still left in my heart._ But when she did dare to open her eyes again, those mismatched blue eyes stared back at her, and a crooked smile smiling back.

"I didn't think I would hear that song again," Sarah said almost breathlessly.

"At least this time you didn't run away from me," Jareth said teasingly with a chuckle. As the band switched to another song the magic faded and there was suddenly people all around like before. Jareth led Sarah off to the side away from the people, snatching up two glasses of champagne from an elf in a butler outfit carrying around a tray of them.

Sarah took the champagne and eyed it suspiciously. "This isn't like some sort of super champagne that will get me smashed from one sip, is it?"

Jareth laughed as Sarah took a cautious sip. "No precious, it's just normal champagne from your world. I promise it's nothing out of the ordinary."

Sarah nodded as she lowered the glass from her lips. "Good, I don't want another incident like last night."

Jareth raised an eyebrow. "What part was the incident?"

Sarah chucked and pushed a piece of loose curl behind her ear. "You know, the 'me asking you to cuddle with me' part. I'm still trying to recover from the embarrassment."

Jareth sipped from his champagne glass and responded, "That's odd. Because that was my favorite part."

Sarah's face turned red, but before she could sputter out a reply, Luella and Narrisa walked up to them, arm in arm, smiles on their faces. Sarah also noted the pink flush on both their cheeks and they're rosy, bitten lips. "Where have you to been?" Luella slurred.

Jareth, noticing the state the two of them were in, folded his arms in front of himself and raised a suspicious brow. "I could ask you two the same thing."

Narrisa giggled and held her finger to her lips, giving him a wink. "I'm sure no one was missing us," she slurred as well, even tilted to the side a bit but catching herself before she fell over.

Sarah smirked as she watched them. "Dang, I'll have what they're having."

Luella started to open her mouth to say something but instead uncontrollable giggles sprang forth. So, Narrisa answered for her. "We tapped into a bit of some Labyrinthian wine and had ourselves a party of our own in a broom closet," she said in a hushed tone, then continued to giggle with Luella.

Jareth chuckled too at the sight of the drunken women. "Sounds like fun. Maybe Sarah and I will do the same."

All three of them burst into more giggles as soon as they saw the look on Sarah's face, which was red all over. Sarah tried to recover, but all she could do was stammer. "Well- I- um- hmm,"

Narrisa slapped Jareth's bicep playfully. "Stop being such a tease, Jareth! Don't say such things to a lady you do not intend on following up on," she scolded him, but then gave a smirk.

"Who said I don't intend on following up on it?" Jareth wrapped his arm tightly around Sarah's waist and gave her a charming smile.

 _I am so sick of his cockiness! Alright, Goblin King, if you want to play a tease, I'll play the same game._ Sarah gave him a smirk and flirtatiously bat her eyelashes. "I'd rather have our own party back in your bed chambers." As soon as the words slipped past her lips she wanted to shove them back in. _Crap! Was that too much? Oh no, too late now._

But instead of the weird silence and awkward expressions she expected on their faces, they all burst into laughter.

"She's so saucy, Jareth! We all need to hang out together more often," Luella said after her fit of giggles.

Narrisa wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye from laughing so hard. "You two better get out of here, Jareth. That invitation might not last until the end of the night!" And with that, the two women walked away, arm in arm, giggling to each other and whispering into each other's ear.

Sarah groaned inwardly at her stupid comment. _This is what happens when I try to be flirty and sexy_. _It backfires on me. I just wanted to tease him back, I don't actually want to 'have our own party' in his bed chambers! At least, not like this._ After watching the two women disappear into the crowd, Sarah looked up at Jareth and saw he was looking back at her.

After a few seconds of nothing but eye contact, Jareth spoke up. "Do you want to get out of here?" Jareth asked.

Sarah's heartbeat quickened. _Does he mean get out of here to just go back to the castle and go to bed, or get out of here and…'go to bed'?_ She swallowed her rising anxiety and smiled up at him. "Sure," she replied quietly.

The two slipped out of the ballroom unnoticed, making their way to the carriage. The night was quiet, the only sound that could be heard was the rustling of Sarah's dress and the clicking of both of their shoes on the cobblestone walkway. When they came up to the curb, the carriage pulled up to them, and the little goblin that drove it hopped down and opened the door for them.

As they rode back to the castle beyond the Goblin City, Sarah's heart raced. She wanted to ask so many questions. _Why do you flirt with me so much? Why do you tease me in front of your friends? Why are you so sweet to me when we're alone? How do you really feel about me?_ But Sarah did not dare ask any of these questions.

Instead, Jareth asked a question for her. "Did you enjoy yourself tonight, Sarah?"

Sarah nodded as she looked down, playing with the beaded detailing on her dress.

Jareth could tell there was something on her mind. Every time Sarah got quiet and wouldn't look at him, he knew there was something biting at her. "Something on your mind, precious?"

Sarah looked up, her eyes as round as a deer caught in a headlight. "Nothing's on my mind. I'm just tired," she lied.

And Jareth knew she was lying. He wished she would just tell him what she was thinking all the time. How he wished he could live within her so he could know exactly how her brain worked. "So, no party in my bed chambers…?" he teased and gave her a crooked smile.

Sarah chuckled to herself. "Ah, that was so stupid." Her face fell into her hands, trying to hide the blush creeping up. "I was…trying to be flirty. Like you."

"You think I'm flirty?" Jareth asked, smiling to himself.

Sarah lifted her head from her hands and narrowed her eyes. "You know you're flirty. You just love to see me embarrassed. It's like that's what you live for."

"I live to see you blush and smile at me," Jareth said, leaning back in his seat. "I like flirting with you. But if you'd like me to stop-"

"No," Sarah interrupted, and when she realized she responded a bit too quickly, she back tracked. "Well, I mean, it's flattering."

"I'm glad I flatter you." Jareth smiled and turned his head to look out the window.

Sarah smiled too as she watched him and admired his features.

When they arrived back at the castle, Sarah told Jareth she could walk herself to her bed chamber, but that was only because she wanted to smile to herself as she relived the night in her head by herself. Once inside her room, she stripped herself of her dress, took down her hair, and washed up. She crawled into bed and stared at the ceiling in the darkness. She was just starting to close her eyes when she remembered something. Her eyes shot open when she remembered it.

They were going to see her family tomorrow.

* * *

 **Luella and Narrisa are probably my favorite characters I've ever written. Being of the LGBTQ community, I felt like this story needed some lesbian princesses pining for one another! I hope you guys liked this chapter, and please do not forget to leave a review!**


	9. Chapter 9: The Queen Predicament

**I can't believe I finally knocked this chapter out. I am so sorry it took so long to write, but my inspiration to write went out the window. But in the meantime I've been writing another story for something NOT Labyrinth related. I don't know if I'm going to be posting it on here, I think I'm just going to wait and see how far I get in it or if I just totally give up on it. Right now, A Champion and A King is my top priority as far as stories go.**

* * *

Jareth's boots clicked on the cobblestone of the labyrinth floor. _These floors are filthy,_ he thought as he looked down. _I'll have to send the cleaners out here while I'm gone._ He thought to himself all the things that needed to be done and taken care of by his royal assistants while he was Aboveground with Sarah and her family. He made his way around a corner and finally came upon just the person he was looking for.

The Wiseman sat upon his stone book throne. He sat there, elbow on the arm of the chair, head leaning against his hand. His other hand held in it the little box he uses for contributions for his wise advice. He, as well as his hat, were sound asleep.

Jareth walked up to the old man slowly, wondering if he would wake up at the sound of his footsteps. But the Wiseman just snored away. "Ahem," Jareth called aloud, but the man and his hat slept on. _"Ahem,"_ he said a bit louder now, but the old man only snored louder. Jareth conjured a crystal ball to his hand. He held it up to his lips, and with a blow, he sent the orb floating towards the Wiseman's face. When it reached his nose, the crystal popped like a bubble, awakening the sleeping man and his hat immediately.

The Wiseman snorted when he felt the pop of a bubble against his nose. His eyes shot open, and beheld the sight of his king standing before him. He straightened up quickly and gathered himself. "Y-Your Highness!" he stumbled on his words.

" _Buenos dias_ , Your Majesty!" The hat called in a chipper accented voice.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" the Wiseman stated politely in his old voice.

"I have come to ask for some wisdom," Jareth said, standing regally before the two characters.

"Then you've come to the wrong place!" The Hat said, bursting into laughter.

The Wiseman looked up at his hat with distain. "Would you be quiet?!"

"Alright!"

Jareth heaved a sigh, growing very impatient. "I am in quite a bit of hurry. If you are as wise as you think of yourself, you'd set aside all jokes before I throw you both into the Bog!" The two immediately grew quiet, awaiting the King's explanation. "Now, something has happened the other day that has been vexing me. The Labyrinth's champion has returned, and-"

The Wiseman and his hat both gasped, leaning in on the edge of his seat. "Sarah has returned?"

"LET ME FINISH," Jareth seethed through his teeth. The two coward at him and remained silent. "As I was saying, Sarah has returned and the other day something strange occurred. It definitely has to do with my magic, but it has never happened to me before. While I was sleeping, Sarah touched my hand, and when our skin made the contact there was a literal spark between us. I could feel it, like a wave of this intense…feeling. I just can't describe it. And when she touched my cheek the feeling only intensified. But when she took her hand away, the feeling dissipated. What could all of this mean?"

The Wiseman was about to say something, when his hat rudely interrupted. "His Highness was sleeping with the señorita?" the Hat asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jareth glared at the Hat menacingly, making the Hat close his beak for good.

The Wiseman sighed at his companion, but gave his wisdom despite his embarrassment. "It seems your magic is trying to tell you both something."

" _There's_ your wisdom…" the Hat muttered quietly to himself.

Jareth and the Wiseman ignored the Hat and went on with their conversation. "Have you tried replicating the action to make sure it wasn't a fluke?"

Jareth shook his head. "My magic doesn't have flukes. It's magic, for God's sake."

The Wiseman though for a second when an idea struck him in his wonderfully wise brain. "Perhaps it is the Labyrinth calling upon your magic."

Jareth walked over to a nearby wall and tugged his leather glove off, placing his hand flat onto the stone. He could feel the Labyrinth breathe and move around him. "It's calling?"

"It's using your magic to tell you what it wants," the Wiseman said, getting up from his own throne and shuffled over to the king. "What else did you feel other than this…spark?"

 _Love, longing,_ Jareth thought to himself, his palm still pressed to the stone wall. As he thought these things it was like a wave washed over his whole body. He quivered, reeling his hand away from the wall. _The Labyrinth is trying to tell me something_ , he thought, looking down at his bare hand.

"Do you hear what it's trying to say?" The Wiseman asked, giving Jareth a knowing look.

Jareth balled his hand into a fist and looked up at the wall, trying to concentrate on what the Labyrinth was trying to tell him. And then it hit him. It wasn't a voice speaking to him in a human voice, No, it was more like a feeling. A feeling throughout his body, and he knew what the Labyrinth wanted. "Sarah as queen," and once the words left him it was like relief washed over him. It was like the Labyrinth was relieved to have this off its chest.

The Wiseman nodded his head slowly. "I am afraid so."

Jareth started to pace. "How am I supposed to do that? Marry her? Half of the time she's here she's ignoring me when she's upset with me. Most of the time I have no idea what she's thinking. How am I supposed to know she even wants me in that way? That woman is a walking conundrum."

The Wiseman shrugged. "She _is_ a woman."

"True that!" The Hat piped up and let out a squawking chuckle.

"What will happen if Sarah does not want to be queen?" Jareth said sounding very concerned.

The Wiseman sighed, hobbling over to his chair once more, feeling suddenly very weak. "I am afraid that something grave will become of the Labyrinth if it does not get what it wants. As well as all its inhabitants, including the Goblin City. And its monarch."

Jareth stopped pacing then and twirled around to face the old man. "How do you know this?" The Wiseman slumped in his chair, feeling very lethargic now and not quite himself. He didn't even have to utter any words, not even his Hat said anything, for he was starting to feel the same effects, for Jareth to understand. Jareth's face fell somber with knowing eyes. "You know because you're feeling it already."

The Wiseman closed his eyes, and very slowly nodded his head, before swiftly dozing off to sleep upright in his chair.

The Hat was even starting to doze off when he noticed that the Wiseman had stopped talking. "Ah," he said, looking down at the man's sleeping face. "I think that's all you get for today."

"That's well enough," Jareth said, checking his pocket watch. "Sarah should be ready to depart now anyway." Without even a goodbye, Jareth started to walk off. Before he _poof_ ed off to his castle in a cloud of glitter, he pressed his hand to one of the walls of the labyrinth once again, feeling the connection between him and his labyrinth. "I want her queen just as much as you," he said softly to it, before disappearing back to the castle.

Sarah's heart was beating a million miles per hour as she sat there in front of the vanity while her twin maids went to work on her hair and makeup. She couldn't believe Irene talked her into inviting Jareth to their annual family Christmas party. _How am I supposed to explain him? That hair, the glitter, the makeup…not everyone thinks that's sexy!_ She scowled at herself in the mirror and shushed her inner thoughts. _Not like I think it's sexy anyway…_

"You're going to look so fabulous you're family isn't even going to recognize you!" Dimitra beamed at Sarah as she applied a neutral brown shadow across her eyelid.

Sarah sighed, slightly slumping in her chair. "Well let's hope they don't recognize me enough to not let me in the house."

Delia smoothed Sarah's chocolate locks down with a hairbrush slowly. "Why don't you want to see your family, Sarah?"

Sarah looked down at her fingers as they fiddled with the frills of her silk pajama shorts. "Not to sound cliché, but they don't understand me." She cringed as soon as the words left her mouth. She hated sounding like a moody teenager, but that was the only way she could explain it.

"What don't they understand?" Delia asked, placing a hand softly on her shoulder, looking at Sarah in the mirror.

Sarah really didn't feel like having share time, so she just shook her head and closed her eyes, trying to relax and breathe as Delia brushed her hair and Dimitra curled her lashes. She actually quite liked getting pampered. It was definitely at the top of her pros list on staying in the castle. "I don't really want to get into a negative head space right now. I'm gonna be gone all weekend, so I want to relish in this pamper session."

Delia smiled softly and began to braid Sarah's hair. She liked Sarah, and she was glad it was she that the king fell in love with. She was kind and gentle to the Goblin City subjects, she was pretty, and Delia has seen the way the King looks at her as well as the way Sarah looks at him. Like there's no other person on this earth but them. Delia sighed as she thought about it. She wished she could find someone to spend the rest of her life with. But she was still young, and not to mention she's always locked up in the castle. Not exactly the right circumstances to meet someone new.

Suddenly the door burst open and there stood Jareth, glitter still floating in the air from his entrance. Dimitra and Delia both looked up from what they were doing, quite startled by the sudden appearance of the monarch. Sarah's eyes snapped open as soon as the twins took their hands off of her, her round eyes now staring at Jareth in the doorway.

Jareth felt a tinge of annoyance spring up within him when he saw that Sarah was not ready on time. He crossed his arms in front of him and glared at the twins who were now cowering behind Sarah, who just sat there in her chair. "It is noon," Jareth finally said, his voice stern and powerful. "Yet Sarah still sits here, makeup half done and hair in mid plait."

Sarah rolled her eyes and looked back into the mirror at herself. Half of her hair was in braids and all the makeup she had on was eyeshadow. "It's not their fault, I woke up late this morning."

"So it is Griselda's fault, then? I shall go give her a stern talking to," Jareth said, turning to walk away.

"No, that's not needed," Sarah called out to him, Dimitra and Delia starting back up again on beautifying her. "She tried waking me up at the time you told her, but I wouldn't get out of bed. It's my fault, no one else's."

Jareth was taken back by how Sarah spoke to him. _Did she just tell me what to do?_ He thought. He saw the twins look at Sarah like she was a mad woman. Like, _how could she speak to a king like that without any consequences?_ Jareth exchanged perplexed glances at the twins before speaking to Sarah again. "I specifically instructed Griselda to wake you up earlier so that we would arrive at your parent's house on time. You have no power to give her instructions that directly go against mine."

Dimitra and Delia gave each other an uncomfortable glance, stepping aside while Sarah and Jareth spoke to each other. Sarah, on the other hand, picked up the mascara Dimitra put down and began to use it herself. "Yes, but you have no power over me. Which means neither does Griselda, so I can decline her waking me up because that's an order from you. _You_ ," she paused to bat her lashed to see if they were full enough. "Who does not have power over me." She put the mascara tube down and looked up at Jareth, giving him a smirk, knowing that she won.

Jareth was bewildered at Sarah's sudden confidence, but he couldn't help but smile. _Now that's the Sarah the kingdom needs._ "Well then, I guess I'll just go wait for you then," he said, turning and walking out without another word.

Sarah turned to the twins, who were staring back at her with bafflement. Sarah raised an eyebrow at them. "What? Why are you two looking at me like that?"

"Since when do you talk to him like that?" Delia asked.

Dimitra nodded. "For goodness sake, woman, he could throw you into the Bog of Eternal Stench! What's come over you?"

Sarah shrugged, looking at herself in the mirror. "I don't know but…I'm starting to feel like myself again." A tiny smile played at the corner of her lips. _I guess the magic of the labyrinth is finally starting to work on me._

Sarah shimmied into a cream-colored slouchy sweater dress, black leggings, and brown knee length leather boots. She looked in the full length mirror at herself, fixing a few loose hairs that had come out of her braided updo behind her ears. Her smoked out brown eyeshadow and long full lashes made her hazel eyes pop, the subtle pink in her cheeks made her look lively and youthful, and her nude lined lips made them look plump and full. This was the best she's ever looked in her life, and it kind of made her nervous. What if her family expected her to look like this from now on? She's not always going to have Delia and Dimitra in her life to make her beautiful, especially in the next couple of days she'll be spending at home.

Sarah turned to her hand maidens and gave a smile. "Thank you both; you always make me look stunning. You're gonna have to teach me how to do this to myself. I'm not always going to have you two around to pamper me."

Dimitra and Delia looked to each other with saddened looks. "You mean," Dimitra started.

"You're not going to stay here?" Delia finished, both of them giving Sarah heart-breaking puppy eyes.

Sarah felt her heart break to see the young girls look so sad. She had no idea they thought that she would stay at the castle forever. She figured she better let them down easy now before they started to get too attached. "I can't stay here forever. I have school, my own apartment, and my family. What are they going to think if I just disappeared?"

Dimitra and Delia had looks of apprehension. They were counting on Sarah to stay at the castle and become the next queen.

The twins had overheard the high queen one morning, when they were still assigned to her, while they were making her bed. The high queen was with her maids as they helped her put on her dress and many accoutrements, and as they did Rhiannon spoke to a crystal that hovered just in front of her face with her husband's face inside speaking back at her.

 _"_ _That son of yours needs to find a mate," Rhiannon spoke as her maids tightened her dress around her. "You know what will happen if he does not."_

 _"_ _Yes, my sweet, I am aware of the situation our son is in," the high king stated, emphasizing the word "our"._

 _"_ _Soon he won't have a kingdom to rule over." Rhiannon held out her arms for her maids to drape her robe over. "He's throwing away this kingdom you've worked so hard for and so graciously handed down to him."_

 _"_ _Don't be so hard on the boy, Rhia. He's doing well ruling by himself. Not everyone can be so lucky to have such a radiant and assertive queen to rule by their side."_

 _"_ _Yes but I am afraid what will happen to the Labyrinth if it does not get what it wants."_

 _"_ _Ah yes, the Labyrinth is known for throwing a grand temper tantrum. The inhabitants will likely be affected by it too." Anghus stroked his beard, contemplating on what they should do._

 _Rhiannon shooed her maids away with a flick of her hand. "He'd better find a queen fast, or you_ will _dethrone him and take his place as sole ruler of the Labyrinth and Goblin City. We will not put the lives of the people at risk because Jareth refuses to play by the rules."_

 _Anghus sighed deeply, feeling desperate for his son knowing that he might not succeed. "I agree with you, my love. We will give him five weeks. That is enough time for him to find a mate and enough time to stop the Labyrinth from having a total meltdown."_

 _Rhiannon smiled gracefully. "It's settled."_

"But," Dimitra countered. "Will the king let you leave?"

Sarah nodded. "Of course, that was part of our deal. I do as he tells me to here as long as I say when I get to leave." She snatched up her knit beret from the bed and settled it onto her head comfortably.

Delia gave a panicked look to her sister. "What if the king does not _want_ you to leave?"

Sarah started toward the door, but paused to give Delia a look like she was ridiculous. "I'm sure Jareth wants me out of his hair as soon as possible. He'll be able to get more stuff done without me here bothering him all the time."

Delia and Dimitra were now standing in front of Sarah, blocking her way to the door. They both looked at her with sad, worried faces. "You can't leave us!"

"I gotta go!" Sarah pushed past the twins, opening the doors to let herself out. But before she left out she looked back and said, "You know, you guys look a little tired. I'll try to convince Jareth to let you guys take a little break for a nap." With a smile, Sarah waved to them and left the room.

Dimitra and Delia looked to each other, their brows knit with uneasiness. They could feel their bodies wilt with fatigue suddenly. They noticed on each other the dark circles starting to form lightly under their eyes.

"It's starting," Delia said tiredly. She reached out for her sister's hand, who squeezed back weakly. They both hoped in their hearts that Jareth wooed Sarah fast.

In the meantime, they feared the worst.


	10. Chapter 10: Meet the Parents

**Here it is! The chapter we have all been waiting for- drum roll please- Jareth meets Sarah's parents! My apologies if Jareth seems so OOC, I'm trying my best! I am working on the next chapter as we speak so expect chapter 11 soon! And because you all have been so awesome and patient, this chapter is the longest one of the story. So enjoy your extra long chapter!**

* * *

As Sarah made her way to the throne room, a million thoughts raced through her head. _How are my parents going to react to Jareth? He looks so…weird compared to normal people Aboveground. How is my family going to act around him? Will they control themselves and at least pretend to be nice? Oh god, what if they still don't have a filter? This was a horrible idea. Can I just convince Jareth to stay here and let me go? But then Irene would question why I didn't bring him and say that I'm being rude…_

Before Sarah knew it she had made her way into the throne room. And without her really even realizing, she had burst into tears halfway there and now stood there, cheeks stained with tears and mascara running. Her heart was pounding, her hand balling up her sweater and clenching her chest. She felt her whole body trembling. She was having a panic attack, the first one in months.

Jareth, whose back was turned to Sarah and looking out the large circular window of the throne room, now spun around as soon as he heard Sarah's hyperventilating. As soon as he saw Sarah, face all puffy from crying, he quickly stepped over to her and wrapped his arms protectively around her.

Normally Sarah would have squirmed out of the grasp of the Goblin King, but as she shuttered and choked on her anxiety, she allowed him to bring her close to him.

"Sarah speak to me, what's wrong?" Jareth asked in a soft voice, stroking her head softly in attempts to calm her down.

Sarah swallowed her sobs and tried to calm her breathing. She took deep breaths, clenching her chest. A few seconds later she felt her body relax a little as she continued to breathe deeply. "I-I don't know, I was just walking over here and…and…" she tried to explain herself as much as she could, but all she could do was cry more. And she felt so horrible for ruining Dimitra's work by crying.

Jareth listened to her intently, stroking her hair and holding her close to him. He let his magic radiate onto her, trying to calm her. He could tell that it was working, feeling her body start to relax against him and her breathing start to calm, but her tears kept flowing. He hurt for her. It physically pained him to see her so upset.

"I'm just…freaking out," Sarah finally said, starting to calm down. She knew Jareth's magic was rubbing off on her, soothing her anxiety filled mind. Being so close to him, the magic easily entered her body and relaxed her. "I've never brought anyone to meet my family. Especially someone like…well, someone like you."

Jareth couldn't help but chuckle. "You need not worry about that, precious. I'll blend in just fine. There is absolutely nothing to worry about."

Sarah wriggled out of his arms, feeling better already. "You don't know my family," she said, trying to wipe away the tears on her face. "They're w _ay_ too honest and share _too_ much. Not to mention I'm the shame of the entire family."

Jareth reached out and wiped the mascara stains from under her eyes. "I rule over crass, vulgar, and vile _goblins_. I am not afraid of a family of mortals, and nothing you say about them could intimidate me. I'll be right next to you for support if ever you need it. You say the word, and we will leave."

Sarah smiled weakly at his kind words. Never would she have thought that she would be leaning on the Goblin King for moral support. She felt cared for. And, oddly enough, she felt loved. She knew someone like Jareth could never love someone like her, but it was a nice feeling to feel nonetheless, even if it wasn't real.

Taking a deep breath and sighing in relief, Sarah steeled herself and knew she was now ready. With the Goblin King by her side, she could do anything. "Alright," she held out her hand for Jareth to take. "Let's go."

And with that, Jareth took her hand and tugged her close to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and clenched her eyes shut, waiting for that nauseating feeling of teleporting. In a burst of glitter, the two were gone from the Underground.

With glitter dissipating around them, Sarah opened her eyes once again to find herself in her apartment's living room. She let the familiarity of it all fill her, and for a moment she missed the solitary of her little one bedroom apartment. But when she looked up at the beautiful face of the king that still held on to her, she knew in her heart that this place isn't where she truly belonged. But she also knew that she had to return home one day.

She tried not to think about that now, though. Sarah stepped away from Jareth, snatching up her car keys from a hook by the door. She grabbed her burgundy double breasted coat from the coat closet and motioned toward the door. "We should be heading out now. We're already running behind. I can just hear Irene now— ' _you're always late! What did I tell you about over sleeping? It makes you gain weight! It's rude to keep your parents waiting.'"_ She opened the front door and waited for Jareth to step out so she could lock the door. But instead he just looked at her. Sarah looked back at him in confusion. "What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jareth held out his hand. "I want to drive," he stated plainly.

Sarah just looked at him, and then scoffed. "Yeah right, like you can drive," she said dubiously.

Jareth kept his hand out. "On the contrary, I am a marvelous driver. You forget that I've spent some time Aboveground. Partaking in the daily leisurely drive was my favorite pastime."

Sarah still looked at him doubtfully. She smirked and now held out her hand. "Let me see your license."

Jareth chuckled and retorted, "Let me see your badge, Officer Williams."

Sarah squinted her eyes at the man. Not saying a word, she dropped the keys into his hand, turned, and walked out into the cold. She waited for him to step out and lock the door behind him. They both made their way to Sarah's tattered dark green 1991 Thunderbird. When they got into the car, Sarah's cheeks flared at the state of the interior she left it in. Water bottles scattered the floor, articles of clothing were tossed around the backseat, and there was even a half empty can of Red Bull sitting in one of the cup holders.

Before Sarah could even try to clean up a bit, Jareth started to back out of the parking lot and onto the street. Sarah buckled herself into her seat and said a little prayer to herself. She hoped the Goblin King drove as good as he teleported, without the nauseous feeling she normally got.

As they drove, Sarah fiddled with the radio station until she found one she liked. She sang along to whatever grunge-rock band was blaring out of the speakers, even head-banging to the guitar riffs. Jareth, on the other hand, gritted his teeth to the sound of the raspy vocals and screeching guitars. As the song faded, a more soothing song came on. The lovely sound of a female's voice filled the car and Sarah turned the volume down. She recognized the song as _Linger_ by The Cranberries, one of her favorites. She sang softly along to it as Jareth listened.

Jareth relished in Sarah's soft voice singing along to the melodic song. This was more his cup of tea. When the song ended, Sarah turned the radio off with the push of a button and looked up at Jareth as he kept his eyes steadily on the road in front of them. "Do you know any Aboveground songs?"

Jareth nodded fondly, remembering the music he and his friends would listen to when they would go out to clubs and see the big swing bands. He also remembered the rock and roll of that time. It was nothing like the noise that Sarah sang along to earlier. "Yes, but I don't think you'd know any of it. It was well before your time."

Sarah riffled through the glovebox of her car in front of her, coming up with a few cassette tapes. Finally she found the one she was looking for and held it up. "Do you know who David Bowie is?"

Jareth glanced at the cassette tape for a moment and then back to the road. "Of course."

Sarah grinned and hastily took the tape out of its package and into the car's built in cassette player. As the first song came on, she hummed along and nodded her head to it. She looked up at Jareth and admired his features. His strong jaw line, sharp cheek bones, and fair complexion. She then suddenly had a realization. "You know, you kind of look like David Bowie."

Jareth made a sour face. "That ugly git? I look nothing like him."

Sarah giggled at Jareth's expression. "I always thought he was really handsome," she confessed.

Jareth glanced at himself in the rearview mirror. "Hmm, I suppose I have some of his features." He gave Sarah a flirtatious wink, which put her into a giggling fit.

The car ride was filled with giggles and banter for the rest of the way. Soon enough Sarah had forgotten all about her anxiety, the reason for their drive in the first place completely out of her head. It wasn't until Sarah gave the last instruction for Jareth to turn into her parent's driveway was when she realized what was about to happen.

Sarah frantically turned to Jareth as he put the car into park and turned the car off. She suddenly realized that Jareth was still in his royal Labyrinthian garb. Her eyes grew wide with panic. "Are you really going in there looking like that?" she questioned in a flustered manner.

Jareth smirked at Sarah's panic-laden face. "I assure you, Sarah, everything will be fine," he said in a calming voice, throwing open the car door and letting himself out into the cold winter air.

Sarah gawked at him as he walked around the car in his tight trousers, knee high black leather boots with matching jacket and gloves. Jareth threw open her door now, holding out his hand for her to take. Sarah stared at his leather clad hand with skepticism. There was no way her parents were going to let some loon wearing a blouse and tights into their home. Sarah meekly gave Jareth her hand and allowed him to help her out of her seat.

Walking up to the door, Sarah's heart quickened. The urge to run for it hit her like a ton of bricks. She laced her fingers with his and pulled back. Feeling the sudden lurch, Jareth stopped in his tracks and turned to Sarah.

"What is the matter, Sarah?"

"I can't do this," Sarah said breathlessly. "What are we even going to say to them? 'Here's this person I met eight years ago when I wished Toby away. He took him and I had to get Toby back by solving a magical Labyrinth to get to a castle in only thirteen hours. Oh and by the way, he's a king!'" Sarah laughed at how ridiculously crazy it all sounded when she put it into words.

Jareth squeezed Sarah's hand comfortingly. "I'll take care of it. All you have to do is follow along." He waited for her to give him a weak nod before continuing to the front door. Sarah still held on to his gloved hand, squeezing it with all of her strength. Jareth felt his hand slowly being constricted, but let Sarah squeeze to her heart's content if it helped to calm her.

Sarah stepped up to the porch and with a deep breath, she rapped firmly on the door and awaited an answer. Before the door opened, Sarah slid behind Jareth, trying to conceal herself as much as possible. _I'm such a weakling…I can't even face my own parents at the door,_ she thought, clenching her eyes shut. But when she felt the smooth texture of Jareth's leather clad thumb rub against the back of her hand, she felt some courage spring forth. She stepped back into her place next to him, but never let go of his hand.

Suddenly the door flew open, and there stood Irene, face lit with excitement. "Sarah!" Irene exclaimed, throwing her arms around her step-daughter and pulling her into a hug, then sort of tossing her inside so she could get a good look at the man that was standing before her.

Feeling disoriented by the movement, Sarah looked back at Jareth with wide eyes. What was Irene going to think when she saw him looking like _that?_ But to Sarah's shock, the man before her was not the same one she arrived here with. Jaw dropping to the floor, she watched this strange man who vaguely looked like Jareth step into the foyer of her parent's house.

He wore an open double breasted black pea coat, underneath was a crisp white button up shirt with the top two buttons undone, a pair of nicely fitted wool slacks with a black leather belt looping around them, shiny patent leather loafers peeking out of the hem of the pants, and a pair of black leather winter gloves covering his hands as usual. His short blonde hair was tousled messily, but in an orderly messy way. He wore a pair of round tortoise shell glasses which held behind them two mismatched eyes Sarah would know anywhere.

 _He looks so…normal,_ Sarah thought as Irene took Jareth's coat and exchanged pleasantries. _And…hot,_ she mentally slapped herself as soon as the thought popped into her head. _No Sarah, bad Sarah! You did not come all the way to your parents' house to hook up with glamoured Jareth._

Irene shook Jareth's hand eagerly. "It's so wonderful to meet Sarah's new boyfr-"

Before Irene could finish her sentence, Sarah chimed in before her step-mother could embarrass her. "Irene this is Jar-…Jar..." Sarah stopped herself before saying his real name. ' _Jareth' is a bit too strange for Abovegrounders. Maybe I should give him a different name…_

But before Sarah could think of anything, Jareth spoke up. "Jared. Jared King. It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Williams," he said calmly.

 _I could've thought of a better name than that,_ Sarah thought, scoffing inwardly.

"Robert!" Irene called to her husband. "Sarah and her guest have arrived."

At the sound of his wife calling for him, Robert Williams stepped into the foyer, a beaming grin appearing on his face at the sight of his daughter. "Sarah, pumpkin! We missed you so much," he beamed, wrapping his arms around Sarah and pulling her into a great big hug.

"Hi, daddy," Sarah smiled, relishing in the embrace of her father.

"Robert, this is Sarah's boyfriend-" Irene began.

" _Not_ my boyfriend," Sarah interjected.

Jareth stepped forward and held his hand out for a handshake. "Jared King. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Williams."

Releasing his daughter from the bear hug, Robert looked Jareth up and down before firmly shaking his hand. "Jared, eh…the pleasure is all mine," he said skeptically, squaring his shoulders and slightly puffing out his chest.

Irene grinned, delighted at the men's exchange. "I'll go make some tea and we can all go have a seat in the living room and get acquainted." She rushed off to the kitchen before another word could be said.

The three left in the foyer stood there awkwardly, Robert eyeing Jareth, deliberately trying to intimidate him. But Jareth didn't even realize Robert's strategy to scare him. Jareth just stood there, glancing around the room and thinking about how the castle might be holding up. Sarah looked between her dad and Jareth, sensing the daunting aura Robert was giving off and Jareth just observing his surroundings.

Before Sarah could speak up, Robert did for her. "I think I'll…go help Irene." And with that, Robert quickly followed suit to his wife, leaving Sarah and Jareth to make their way to the living room themselves.

Sarah bit her lower lip anxiously. "So…shall we?" She gestured her arm towards the open room, both of them stepping towards it. "What do you think so far?" She asked, eager to hear his opinion on her parents.

Jareth nonchalantly smiled down at Sarah. "They're fine. Why do you ask?"

Sarah sighed, leading him to sit on the plush dark red couch. "Cause it's just gonna get worse from here." Sarah turned her head at the sound of her parents walking into the room and gave a fake grin. She watched as Irene gently set the silver tray onto the coffee table and disperse the fine China tea cups to each person. Sarah and Jareth thanked Irene, taking up their cups and slowly sipping on the hot liquid.

Robert slowly sat upon the matching loveseat across from the couple, keeping a watchful glare on Jareth. Irene took a seat next to her husband and cheerfully held onto her cup with both hands. "So," she chirped, gleaming like a ray of sunshine at the two. "We want to know everything."

"Yeah," Robert chimed in. "How did you two meet again? Sarah said you two met in a class?" He said quite quizzical.

Sarah looked at Jareth with a frantic look, hoping he would make something up. As soon as Jareth saw her wide eyes, he cleared his throat and set his cup of tea down. "Well, I'm a professor at Sarah's university. I teach British literature, but for a week during the beginning of the school year I was asked to lecture in one of her own literature classes. She came by during one of my office hours and we hit it off. She's quite the intellectual companion." When Jareth looked over at Sarah, she was eyeing him quite fondly. At their eye contact, Sarah blushed and looked down, taking another drink of her tea.

Robert continued to glare at the glamoured Fae. "So, do you make it a habit of dating your students?" He asked quite coolly, taking a sip from his tea cup.

Sarah almost choked on her own tea but hastily swallowed it down. " _Dad,"_ she said through gritted teeth. She stole a glance at Jareth, expecting him to be offended, but instead a hearty chuckle sprang forth from him.

"No sir," Jareth replied once his chuckles dissipated. "It was Sarah's mind and sharp tongue that drew me to her. She's truly one of a kind." He gave Sarah a quick wink unseen by her parents.

"She's my daughter, of course I know she's one of a kind," Robert muttered to Irene, earning him a swift jab to the ribs with her elbow. "So," he continued, crossing his legs and leaning forward. "How old are you, exactly?"

" _Dad!"_

 _"_ _Robert!"_

Jareth let out a light-hearted chuckle once again. "Thirty-eight," he answered easily, leaning back onto the cushions of the couch and crossing his legs casually.

"Younger than you," Irene mumbled into her tea cup, receiving a sharp glare from her husband. Before Robert could defend himself, the doorbell rang.

The doorbell didn't just ring once, it rang, and rang, and rang, and rang, as if someone was pressing it continuously without break. Irene gave Jareth an apologetic look and stifled a chuckle before she stood from the couch. "That must be Toby and his friend. He insisted that if Sarah brought over a friend to stay the night, he should have a friend stay the night too. He rode his bike over to his friend's house to get him a little before you both arrived." The doorbell didn't let up so Irene rushed over to the door and answered it.

" _Tobias Anthony Williams,_ what the _hell_ did I say about ringing this _damn_ doorbell so much?" Irene said through her teeth but could still be heard by the ones in the living room.

"Sorry, mom," Toby said, clearly out of breath from racing his bike down the street.

"Hi, Mrs. Williams," Toby's friend chirped beside him.

"Hello, Gavin," Irene said in a now chipper tone, smiling down at the little boy.

"Is Sarah here?" Toby asked, slinging his jacket off and tossing it to the floor, Irene scowling at the boy but picking up after him anyways.

Sarah twisted in her seat, looking over the couch at Toby. The eight year old boy was tall for his age, getting his height from Robert. His wild curly blonde hair stuck out every which way; Sarah guessed that he got his curly hair from Irene's side of the family. His wide blue eyes shone brightly under his mop of hair. And once those bright blue eyes locked onto Sarah they grew larger with excitement along with a huge grin that spread across his face.

"Sarah!" Toby exclaimed, running toward his half-sister at full speed.

Sarah stood and braced for the impact. The boy hit her like a ton of bricks, wrapping his short arms around her waist, almost constricting her. "I've missed you, buddy." Sarah knelt down and brought Toby into a big bear hug.

Looking over to the strange man still seated on the couch, Toby furrowed his brow in confusion. For some reason, this man he has never met seemed familiar to him, but he didn't know why. Pushing away from Sarah, Toby kept his eyes on Jareth. "Who's that?" he asked cautiously.

Sarah looked back at Jareth, and then back at Toby, knowing somehow that the young boy knew who her companion was. "Tobes, this is my friend Jared," she said in a light tone, trying to keep Toby calm.

Toby's eyes never left Jareth, his smile dissipating into a thin line. Jareth looked back at the boy, an eyebrow raised, pretending to not know what was going on. But inside he knew what was happening. Toby was touched by Jareth's magic, and because of this Toby carries around a bit of magic still in him, especially because he was in direct contact with Jareth. The magic still in him recognized the magic that radiated from Jareth now, even if it was a faint recognition. Jareth knew sooner or later Toby's mind will start to react to the magic inside him and start to full the pull of the Labyrinth. The nightmares will torment him and his mind will start to darken. _All the more reason to stay in Sarah's life,_ Jareth thought, knowing he could help poor Toby before it was too late for him.

"Oh…" was all Toby said before he turned and ran back to his friend that was waiting for him. "This is my friend Gavin," he said, his tone already lighter and his smile back on his face. His little brunette friend just smiled and waved before they raced upstairs to play.

"He's been really excited to see you," Robert said, happy to have seen his two children reunited.

Sarah couldn't keep a smile off her face. Toby was the one thing that made her truly happy in life. But as Sarah got older and went away to college, their relationship strained. Toby had cried when he heard that Sarah wouldn't be living at home anymore, but as he got older he got used to the fact that his big sister wasn't around anymore. Toby was busy with school and homework, and when that was done he was outside playing with his friends. When Sarah did come home for holidays Toby spent some time with her, but for the most part he kept with his normal schedule of video games and hanging out with his friends. It was hard for Sarah to see him growing up so fast.

Sarah stood from where she was kneeling. "Well…Jared and I are going to…grab his luggage from the car now…" Grabbing Jareth's wrist, she pulled him up from his seat on the couch and led him to the foyer.

"Okay but when you come back in we're showing Jared around the house!" Irene called after them, but soon heard the front door slam shut without a response.

Robert stood next to her, a scowl on his face. "I can't believe it. My daughter is seeing her college professor. Never in my life would I ever think my daughter would become _that_ girl!"

Irene slapped her husband on his chest. "Robert! Jared is a fine man. And he isn't Sarah's professor, he was just a guest lecturer."

"That doesn't change the fact that _he_ is a professor and _she_ is a student! It's completely unprofessional. Please do not tell me you actually condone this, Irene."

Irene shrugged, cleaning up the coffee table and putting all the teacups back onto the tray. "I think he'll be good for Sarah. She seems to be doing better already," she said before stalking off to the kitchen with the tray full of cups. "She just seems happier."

Robert followed his wife into the kitchen, the scowl deepening on his face. "She's just taking her meds! She should be getting happier for what I pay for her to be taking them."

Irene dropped the tray on the kitchen counter, making the cups clatter against each other. She spun around, giving Robert an incredulous look. "Robert Williams, you have never been more unattractive than right now," she spat before leaving him to stand alone in the kitchen.

Outside in the cold, Sarah leaned on her car, rubbing her arms for warmth and cursing herself for rushing out without a jacket. Jareth stood there, wiping his glasses on a handkerchief he drew from his pocket. Sarah furrowed her brows at Jareth. "Why are you wearing those, anyway? You can see perfectly fine."

Jareth slid his glasses back on and shrugged. "They're clear lenses. I just thought they looked bloody good on me." He gave a smirk to Sarah as her cheeks grew pink and warm.

Sarah rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the apparent blush on her face. "I didn't drag you out here to hear your conceited remarks."

Jareth's face grew serious suddenly. "I know."

Scowling at the ground, Sarah's mind raced. "Toby recognized you even though you're glamoured."

Jareth nodded, shoving his gloved hands into his pant pockets. "He's a sharp boy. The magic still within him recognizes my magic."

Sarah's eyes shot up to meet his, confusion written all over her face. "He still has magic in him too?"

Jareth nodded. "Because he was in my presence for a much longer time than you were while he was wished away, not to mention he was physically touched by my magic, his senses are more acute to it. He seemed skeptical at first, but the longer I stay here the sooner he will realize who I am."

"But he was just a baby when he met you, there's no way he remembers you," Sarah said in disbelief.

"Magic knows magic, no matter the age," was all Jareth said, leaving Sarah puzzled still.

Then Sarah realized something. "So if Toby still has magic in him, will it start to go bad like mine did?" she said in a low voice, terrified for her younger brother.

Jareth slowly nodded, a frown gracing his handsome face. "I'm afraid so. He will soon feel the pull of the Labyrinth just as you did. And with his young age, I'm afraid it will impact him far worse than you."

The color in Sarah's face drained. Sarah was okay with being the family disappointment, she was even okay with being called crazy, but she didn't want that for Toby. Sarah went through so much, more than anyone should go through, more than what an eight year old should go through. Sarah looked up at Jareth with desperation in her eyes. "W-What can we do? How can we stop it from happening? He can't just disappear from home to stay at the castle. It was easy for me because no one wanted me, but I'm _pretty_ sure my parents are gonna realize he's gone. And I don't want that for them."

Clenching his jaw, Jareth thought for a moment, leaving Sarah in silence to think the worse. "I would have to somehow find a way to be around him. Not every day, but every once in a while. Like a check-up," he finally said.

Sarah swallowed hard, knowing that the only resolution was to keep Jareth in her life. _But how?_ Jareth didn't owe her anything. He could just kick her out of the castle and walk out of her life whenever he wanted to. He could leave her and Toby to spiral into the depths of their minds to rot with the bad magic inside them. _No,_ Sarah resolved, straightening up. _I won't let that happen. I won't let that happen to Toby._ Sarah clenched her fists, steeling herself. "Then we'll just have to find a way to keep you around."

A smirk broke across Jareth's face, but he didn't say a thing. _Only if I get to keep you around, my precious. We both need each other for different reasons, but I'll keep waiting until we want each other for the same._

Sarah sighed, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, we should get back inside before Irene starts to assume we're doing something other than getting your luggage. So do some magic and make a suitcase appear."

Jareth raised an eyebrow at Sarah's demanding tone. "As you wish, _your majesty,"_ he teased. Beckoning a crystal to his hand, he blew on it and let it drift to his side, where it popped, revealing a large Burberry suitcase.

Sarah raised her eyebrows, but somehow she wasn't surprised by his choice of luggage. "Alright, Mr. Fancy, let's head back in. I'm freezing my ass off out here."

"Would you like me to warm it?" Jareth asked, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Sarah turned back to him, cheeks igniting once again. "Sh-Shut up!" she exclaimed, playfully hitting his bicep. "Stuff like that will give Irene the wrong impression. She already thinks we're dating."

 _That doesn't sound too bad to me, love,_ Jareth thought to himself, smirking.

Walking back to the door, Sarah couldn't stop her mind from thinking. _Would that be the worst thing in the world?_ She shook her head, trying to clear the thought. _Damn…I really do have it bad._

Stepping back inside the warm house, Sarah rubbed her arms to stop herself from shivering. "Damn, I hope it doesn't start snowing while we're here. I do _not_ want to be trapped here for longer than I have to be."

"Here, let me help," Jareth insisted, replacing her hands with his. Instead of rubbing his hands along the length of her arms vigorously like she had been doing, he held onto her biceps tightly, using his magic to radiate heat into her. She felt her trembling start to slow down and then cease altogether. The warmth flowed throughout her body and thawed her almost instantly.

Sarah looked up at Jareth. He had this look of concentration on his glamoured face as the warmth continued to pulse through her body. She cleared her throat and spoke up. "I'm fine now, thank you," she said in a low voice, gazing into his icy orbs. The concentration in his face dissipated, now staring back at Sarah with a different intensity.

"How do you feel now?" he asked in a soft, rugged voice.

Sarah swallowed hard, feeling her stomach suddenly flutter with a million butterflies. Taking a shaky breath, she opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the sound of Irene entering the foyer.

"So," Irene sang. "Let's show you around!" She clasped her hands excitedly.

Jareth reeled his arms in as Sarah took a step away from him. "Yeah come on let's go…" Sarah stuttered, bowing her head and leading the way up the stairs.

"This is Sarah's room," Irene said, pointing to the door on the right that was slightly open.

Sarah quickly leaned over and slammed the door shut. She had left her room the same way she had it when she was in high school. When she moved out, she only took the essentials with her— clothes, her favorite books, and Lancelot, whom was returned to her from Toby as a reminder of him. She had hoped that her parents would gut out her old room and make it into another guest room, but they refused to. It reminded them of the old Sarah. The Sarah before the nightmares took over her.

Robert followed behind them, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Which you should _never_ enter under _any_ circumstances," he interjected, making Sarah gawk and audibly scoff, her cheeks aflame. Jareth gave Sarah a crooked smile as she gave a flustered sigh and giving him an irritated look.

They moved on to the next door, Irene stopping and flourished with her arm like she was Vanna White. "And this is your room," she opened the door and walked in, revealing the plainly decorated guest room. The walls were an off white, the queen sized bed covered in a floral duvet, and a whicker rocking chair sat in the corner of the room with a cheerful looking teddy bear sitting atop of it.

"Charming," Jareth replied, walking around the room and setting his luggage down on the bed. "Thank you for the accommodations, Mrs. Williams," he said very suavely, giving her a captivating crooked smile.

Irene's face lit up like a Christmas tree as she felt herself getting flustered. "I, well, I just-" Irene giggled nervously as her face grew hot. She hadn't felt this giddy since she was a girl. "Oh dear," she murmured to herself and turned away, ducking out of the room, feeling quite embarrassed to feel this way towards Sarah's new "boyfriend".

Robert glared at Jareth as he leaned against the doorway. "Make yourself comfortable," he spat at him before following his wife to question just why she was so flushed.

Sarah stepped into the room, hands clasped behind her back. She met Jareth's eyes and looked down embarrassed. "Sorry my dad's so…dad-like," she mumbled, looking down at her boots. "I've just never brought someone home before. They're both a little shocked, I guess."

Jareth was a little confused. Irene and Robert seemed like perfectly normal parents. Protective yet polite. "They seem normal."

Sarah scoffed, plopping down onto the edge of the bed. "They're only nice because you're here. Trust me, if you hadn't come they'd be all over my ass. I'm sure they'll show they're true colors soon. They can't hold in their disappointment of me for as long as we're staying."

Jareth sat on the bed next to her, taking his glasses off and looking into her mossy green eyes. "No matter what they say, I'll stay by your side. I'll always protect you."

Looking into his mismatched eyes, Sarah felt safe. His words soothed her anxiety and she believed them. She felt a spark of bravery ignite within her. In his presence, she felt like she could conquer the world. _If this is what love feels like_ , she thought, unconsciously leaning closer to the man next to her. _Then maybe loving him isn't so bad._ When Sarah realized just how close she had gotten, it was too late to pull back. With a stomach full of knots and a hint of bravery in her heart, she gave his cheek a peck and quickly reeled back.

Jareth felt a spark when Sarah gave his cheek a peck, like a jolt that went through his entire body. This time he knew what it meant. The Labyrinth yearned for her, and so did he. He placed his gloved hand on her cheek and looked deeply into her eyes, making Sarah blush and shrink away under his gaze.

Before Jareth could say anything else that would make Sarah want to crawl into his lap and shove her tongue down his throat, she stood quickly, fidgeting with the sleeve of her sweater. "Well I guess I better let you do…whatever it is you do—I gotta go!" Sarah slipped out of the room as fast as she could, her cheeks blazing like fire, leaving Jareth to smile at her coquettish mannerisms.


	11. Chapter 11: What Is Love?

**Hey guys! Back with another chapter. This one has some fluff and a lot of UST ;) So I hope you guys like that!**

 **School has started already as most of you know, and most of us are back at it. I'm in my Junior year in college and now I am busier than ever. I'm not going to have a lot of time to write and update as much as I used to but I will try to write as much as I can! This story will not be forgotten, I promise.**

* * *

That night, after an awkward family dinner with Toby staring across the table at Jareth, Irene asking personal questions, and Robert's underhanded comments toward the older man, everyone slept soundly in their beds. All except Sarah.

Sarah tossed and turned in her little twin bed as a frightening scene played behind her lids as she slept. Sweat beaded at her temples and trickled down to her pillowcase where it left a pool. Her breathing hastened as her heart beat accelerated. Her eyes moved underneath her lids, viewing the nightmare that bared itself to her mind.

 _There she was, fifteen again, at the battle in the Goblin City where she fought on her way to the castle to save her baby brother, Toby. She stood there, the gates closed behind her, her eyes closed as she listened to the odd silence that rang across the city. Her brows furrowed at the silence. Where were the battle cries from the warrior goblins? Where were the booms from the cannons? Where were the enthusiastic barks of Sir Didymus as he commanded Ambrosious, his loyal steed, to turn around and face the enemy?_

 _Something was not right._

 _Panic stricken suddenly, Sarah's eyes flew open and peered out at the scene before her. Her hands came up to cup her mouth in utter disbelief, her screams falling short of leaving her mouth. The sight she took in was one of pure horror. Tiny goblin bodies were strewn across the battlefield; blood pooled around each body and made the whole scene look like an ocean of red. Some bodies were torn apart while some only had bullet wounds. While most were dead, some were pulling themselves through the mud and blood, trying to find safety from all the gore._

 _"_ _Sawah?" Sarah turned her head to the sound of her friend, hoping to find at least some comfort in all this anguish. But when she turned to find her friend, all her mossy orbs met was terror. There amongst the rest of the Goblin bodies lie Ludo, his ginger fur stained with dark ruby liquid that spurted from the many wounds in his body. One of his horns was torn from his head, blood leaking all over his innocent face. Those big, sweet brown eyes looked up at her with agony, asking the silent question as to why this happened to him._

 _Sarah was hysterical, a flood of tears washing her face. Her eyes, wide with fear, searched for the rest of her friends. She stopped when she heard the faint voice of her little furry knight. "M'lady…?"Sarah searched and searched from her spot but couldn't find Sir Didymus. She dared to leave her spot and ventured out into the war torn city, stepping over bodies and sobbing more and more as she got closer to the castle. Finally, Sarah came across a fallen stone house, cobblestones crumbled to the ground. Under all the rubble, Sarah could hardly make out the flash of white and brown fur peeking out from underneath a heavy piece of cobblestone wall. She wouldn't have even seen it if she hadn't looked down to watch her footing. But at the sight of it Sarah tripped on a piece of rubble and fell to her knees. Her breath hitched as she reached out for the piece of fur that stuck out. Choking out a sob, she knew she had to continue forward._

 _She couldn't go on. She felt weak, her limbs felt like bags of cement and her heart felt like someone put a bullet into it. She felt helpless, scared, and tired. But Sarah had to go on. Toby was waiting for her and she had to know where the last of her friends was. She had to find Hoggle—alive._

 _Sarah pushed herself off the ruins of the house and kept treading on. She finally found herself at the gates of the castle. Looking up at the castle, she took a deep breath, steeled herself, and took a step forward. But a voice that rang out stopped her in her tracks. "Sarah…" The weak voice of Hoggle rang in her ear like an explosion. She quickly turned and ran toward the direction her heart pulled her to. "Please be alive," was all she could utter to herself as she ran as fast as she could, swerving through destruction and dead bodies._

 _But Sarah never found him. She kept running, opposite direction of the castle. Time ticked away, the thirteen hours coming to a complete. She continued to run as the Goblin King turned her brother into a goblin, continued to run as she sobbed, continued to run as her breath burned like fire in her lungs, continued to run even when she lost all hope. She then stopped running. She fell onto her knees, surrounded by the trash and junk piles just outside the city. She slowly lowered herself onto the ground, lying there on her side in the rubbish._

 _She watched as one of the junk ladies approached her, her back swollen with many items from the trash heaps. "Where do you think you're going, young lady? HMM?" Sarah lied there as the Junk Lady tossed piles and piles of trash and unwanted items onto her back. She could feel her breathing start to shorten, her breaths coming out in wheezes. But she continued to lie there as the junk crushed her and the light began to fade into darkness…_

Sarah gasped for air and sat up straight in her bed. There were tears in her eyes as well as on her cheeks as she panted. She wiped her tears and sweat off her face with the back of her hand. She looked all around her room, making sure that she was indeed awake and free from her nightmare. She sighed in relief when she knew that she was safe. She slowly lowered her head back onto her sweaty pillow. But when her eyes met the cold black ones of the dolls and stuffed animals that stared down at her from her shelf above her bed, she threw the covers off her body and rushed out of her room.

Not knowing where to go, Sarah tiptoed down the stairs in her band t-shirt and old gym shorts. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she noticed the faint glow of the light on in the kitchen. Curious as to who was up at this time of night, she made her way into the kitchen. Noticing the long blonde hair of unglamoured Jareth as he leaned against the island in the middle of the kitchen, she walked over to him. "What are you doing up so late? And unglamoured at that?" she asked, looking him up and down.

Clad in soft grey flannel pants and a white V-neck t-shirt, his blonde, wispy hair softly lying on his shoulders. He held a glass of water in his hand half empty. "I was parched. And as for my disguise—my magic doesn't have the same strength in your world than in mine. I need to save up all the strength that I can or my magic can be used up in this world."

Sarah furrowed his brow and crossed her arms in front of her. "What happens when it runs out?"

"I would have to transport back to the Underground immediately."

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, it would be bad if you were to suddenly leave and my parents wonder where you went."

Jareth gave her a sly grin. "You could just tell them that I am a very powerful king that rules over an entire kingdom of Goblins and that I had to see to my duties."

Sarah let out a chuckle. "Sure, and while I'm at it I'll tell them how I wished Toby away when I was fifteen and had to race my way to him while running through a maze and being tormented by the sexy Fae king and-" Sarah paused mid-sentence to reflect upon what had just come out of her mouth. She bit her lip, her eyes growing wide. "I don't know what I'm saying, I just woke up…" she tried backpedaling.

Jareth raised his eyebrows in surprise. "But I would love to hear more about this 'sexy Fae king'." He looked down at her with mischievous eyes and a smirk.

Sarah laughed nervously and bit her bottom lip. "But wouldn't you rather know why I'm up so late?"

"What's said is said, precious," Jareth said lowly, giving her a sly wink.

Sarah's cheeks lit up like the sky on Fourth of July. She gave his chest a forceful slap that only made Jareth laugh more. "I did _not_ mean that," she said seriously. She rubbed her eye with her fist with feigned sleepiness. "I'm just…tired, that's all.

Jareth started to feel Sarah's feelings for him starting to change. She was no longer the nervous girl who hardly talked to him and was easily set off like an emotional bomb. Now she was giggly and blushy around him, engaging in banter with him. Like a young girl around her school crush. "Well, why don't we just go to bed then? Will it be mine or yours?"

Sarah gaped at his bluntness, but was very aroused by his offer. "How about _neither?_ I'm suddenly not feeling so tired anymore," she said, hopping up and sliding her bottom on top of the kitchen island to sit up high.

Jareth stood just across from her, leaning against the countertop. "I wasn't planning on sleeping…" he said in a low voice.

Sarah's eyes widened as her hands flew up to her mouth, trying to contain her giddy laughter. This night was turning into a game of who flirts more, and it seemed like her opponent was winning. She needed to strike back. "As long as I have my sexy Fae king I'm happy." She grinned back at him victoriously.

"So," Jareth raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side, eyeing Sarah. "You think I'm sexy?" he asked suavely.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Alright, I admit it. I think you're good looking, so what? So does Irene. And I'm sure all the females in the Underground have their eyes on you. Well, all except Luella and Narrisa. They only have eyes for each other."

Jareth crossed the distance between him and Sarah, standing an inch away from her knees, their faces at eye level. "I assure you, precious, that the only one I have eyes," he placed his bare hands atop of hers, leaning his face only inches away from hers. Sarah could feel his breath grazing her lips. She let out a shaky sigh as she looked into his intense icy eyes. "For you." Their skin contact sent their senses buzzing. Their skin tingled, their brains went fuzzy, and in the next few seconds they would lose all control.

If only it weren't for the tiny footsteps on the kitchen tile.

"Sarah?" Toby called out sleepily, rubbing a tired eye.

Sarah placed both hands on Jareth's chest (only lingering for a second to enjoy the feeling) and pushed him away from her. "Toby!" She jumped off the countertop and composed herself, her cheeks still slightly red from the _situation_ just seconds before Toby entered the room. "What's wrong?"

Toby shuffled over to Sarah in his Star Wars pajamas and matching slippers. "I couldn't sleep. I had a bad dream." He looked up at his sister with big blue eyes underneath his curly blonde mop.

Sarah knelt down to his level and gathered him into her arms to soothe the frightened boy. "Wanna talk about it? It usually helps me to talk about my dreams to someone."

Toby thought for a second, then nodded his head. Sarah took his small hand and led him into the living room and sat him on the sofa, sitting next to him closely so that he felt safe. Jareth, who had glamoured himself just in the nick of time, stood in the opening where the kitchen and living room met, leaning on the framework. He enjoyed watching Sarah nurture Toby. She was so sweet, caring, and loving. _She will make a great queen,_ Jareth thought as he watched. _And a great mother too_. Jareth took a step back. _No, I mustn't get too ahead of myself. One step at a time, chap. She will be queen, first things first._

Once Toby was settled quite nicely on the couch, a soft throw blanket covering his legs comfortably, Sarah threw her arm over his shoulders so that he could lean on her side. "Okay, now tell me all about what happened in your dream," she coaxed him in a gentle voice.

"Well," Toby said in a small voice. "I was in a strange place I've never been before, but it kind of looked familiar," he started off. "I was alone at first, but then these weird looking ugly monsters started to surround me." He looked up at Sarah, who gave him an encouraging nod, then he continued. "Then they started grabbing me and tossing me around. I kept telling them to stop, to put me down, but they wouldn't listen to me." Toby then sat straight up. "And then a man came into the room. He told all the monsters to be quiet. Then he walked over to me and I could finally see his face." Toby then leaned over to take a glance at Jareth watching from the kitchen, then back at Sarah. He leaned closer to whisper to her. "The man looked like your friend, but with long hair and weird clothes."

Sarah listened intently on what Toby had said. He had a dream about being in the castle with the Goblins and Jareth. That means he must somehow remember what happened to him as a baby. Now those memories were being darkened by the residual magic stuck on him. Sarah placed a hand gently on Toby's soft curls and gave his head a pet. "It's alright, Toby. Mr. Jared isn't going to hurt you in any way. He's my friend and that means he's your friend too." She said in an encouraging way. "If we go and tuck you in together, will you trust him?"

Toby looked back and forth between the man and Sarah, finding comforting looks from both. Slowly he nodded his head, sliding down from the couch. He took Sarah's hand and led her to where Jareth was standing and looked up at Sarah. She gave him another encouraging nod then gave Jareth a smile. Toby looked up at Jareth warily. "Mr. Jared, will you come tuck me in with Sarah?" he asked in a small voice.

Jareth smiled down at Toby reassuringly. "I'd be honored, Toby." Taking Sarah's and Jareth's hands, they all made their way back upstairs to Toby's bedroom.

Entering the boy's room, Jareth noticed how much it has changed. The last time he was in this room, it was frilly and pastel with a baby crib and baby toys everywhere. Now there was a twin sized bed with navy blue bed sheets and pillows, Star Wars and Goosebumps posters plastered on the walls, nerf guns with their darts and hot wheels scattered on the floor, and in the corner sat a small television with a Nintendo console hooked up to it. It was a normal eight year old boy's room.

Making their way to Toby's bed, the three of them had to step over the sleeping form of Toby's friend, Gavin, as he slept soundly in his Batman sleeping bag on the floor. Toby crawled into his bed, kicking the covers to the side so that Sarah could tuck him in. Sarah reached for the blankets and covered him, tucking the sides underneath him so that he was wrapped in a cocoon of blankets.

She sat on the edge of the bed, stroking his hair. "Go to sleep now, okay Tobes? I'm sure Gavin is going to wake you up nice and early, so you want to get your sleep in."

Toby's eyelids became heavy suddenly as he listened to Sarah's words. He yawned and closed his eyes. After just a couple of minutes, he was fast asleep once again.

Sarah stood from the bed after making sure Toby was really asleep. She turned to Jareth with a smile. "Well, he's asleep now."

Jareth nodded, watching Toby's chest rise and fall in deep sleep. He knew the boy's nightmares would only reoccur if he didn't do something. He stepped over to the side of the bed and put a hand on Toby's head. He knew tampering with a mortals dreams was against the rules, but there were no rules for _taking away_ mortals dreams. Using quite a bit of his magic, Jareth made sure that Toby would not have any dreams for the time that he and Sarah would be visiting. When he was finished, Jareth stepped back.

Sarah watched as Jareth pet Toby's head. She knew he was doing something magical, she just didn't know what. When he stepped away, she led the way out of Toby's room. Stopping in the middle of the hallway, Sarah turned to Jareth with a questioning look on her face. "What was that back there?" she asked in a whisper.

Jareth gave her a crooked smile. "He'll sleep better for the remainder of our time here," he whispered back.

Sarah pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear and gave him a tiny smile before continuing down the hall to her bedroom door. She put her hand on the door knob, but before she opened it she turned back to Jareth with a blush creeping up on her cheeks. "I-I just wanted to say thank you…for everything that you do for me. And especially what you did for Toby." She looked down at her bare feet to hide her embarrassment.

"There's no need to thank me, Sarah. Everything I do I do for you," he said, placing a finger under Sarah's chin, lifting her gaze to his. "I'd move the stars for you."

Sarah felt so small under his gaze. His eyes held so much power behind them, yet his light touch held so much softness. The harsh features in his face were washed over by his soothing and charming way with words. Everything about him was just so perfect, it made Sarah think herself so inferior. Yet every time she was in his presence she felt on top of the world. But there was a question that has always been on her mind. "But…why? Why do you do it?"

Jareth felt taken aback. ' _Why_ ' _she asks?_ He thought as he chuckled aloud. "You've forgotten the story, haven't you?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow at him. "What story?"

"Why, you've said it yourself, precious." Sarah's face remained clueless, so Jareth continued. "… _What no one knew is that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers,"_ he recited, as if he had memorized it since the first day Sarah said those words.

Sarah laughed at the nostalgia those words brought to her. She remembered telling them to Toby as a baby that fateful night she had him wished away. "That was just a story."

"The stories we tell hold truth in them, Sarah," he said, giving her a smirk.

Sarah's smile faded, confusion setting in again. "So…wait…I…" Sarah fumbled with her words, trying to understand what he was trying to say. "You're telling me that…that the 'King of the Goblins' really _is_ in love with the girl?"

Jareth chuckled to himself as Sarah tried to sort her thoughts out. He began stepping back towards his bedroom door as Sarah tried wracking her brain. "No one else in the universe has power over me like you do, Sarah," he said as he turned to knob to his door.

Sarah took a step towards him and reached out, thinking somehow that would stop him. "W-Wait! What does this mean?! D-Do you…?"

"Do I what, precious?" Jareth waited for Sarah to respond. She looked at him with her big green eyes, longing for answers. But Jareth wouldn't dare say his true feelings before her. He needed to know her feelings for him first. He threw himself at her feet before, practically begging her to love him. But not this time. She had to come to him first. And if that never happened, well then the fate of the Labyrinth would be at stake, and he would never love again.

Sarah shut her eyes tightly, balling her hands into fists at her sides. "Please," she begged, inwardly cringing at how desperate she sounded. "Just tell me."

Jareth sighed. He had to leave her presence before he fell to his knees at that instant and confessed his undying love for her. It would only drive her away. _No, control yourself,_ he thought steeling himself. _She must come to you._ "You should get to bed, Sarah."

Before Sarah could reach out and grab him, Jareth slipped into his room and shut the door behind him, leaving Sarah in the hall to wonder.

Sarah ran her fingers through her chocolate colored mane, groaning in exasperation. _Damn that man!_ She thought as she closed her bedroom door behind her. She cringed and jumped when she accidently slammed it behind her. She hoped nobody had heard it. She began pacing her room, twirling a piece of her hair in her finger.

 _So he loves me?_ She thought, her brow creasing in concentration. _But if he loves me why did he treat me like that when I ran the Labyrinth? He was…cruel and mean. He sped up time, for god's sake! He manipulated me and then had the nerve to ask me to stay with him._ She flopped back onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She sighed in frustration. _Of course I did almost destroy the Goblin City and ruined him when I rejected him._ Sarah bit her bottom lip. _And after all of that he's still the only person I want to be with._ She pounded her fists into her matress beneath her.

 _Dammit, Sarah! You love him, and if he does love you you should be with him. Go into that room and tell him you love him so you can be together forever,_ the voice in the back of her head demanded. But her legs did not permit her to move. She stayed in her bed and imagined different scenarios of what would happen if she did go in there and pour her heart out. Some scenarios went well, some went _very_ well, and some went horribly, terribly wrong and only ended in heartbreak.

Finally, there in her bed under the covers, Sarah gave herself an ultimatum. She would tell Jareth how she felt by tomorrow or she would leave for good. _Do you want happiness, or do you want to cave into your fear forever? Because you can't keep living with this man in his castle any longer and not tell him how you really feel,_ the voice scolded her. _It's not fair for you or him. So just tell him already!_

 _Alright, alright! I'll do it. By tomorrow night. I promise,_ Sarah told herself, but the butterflies in her stomach told her to run for the hills and never look back.


	12. Chapter 12: Under Pressure

**UGH! I wanted to get this and the next chapter out before Christmas seeing as it's set at Christmas time. I've just been so busy and tbh I've had a lot of writer's block so please excuse some parts if they seem rushed, I just really want to get to the good fluffy, romantic parts. Unfortunately there's not much of that in this chapter. But I do hope you guys like this one and don't forget to leave a review when you're done so that I know how much you did enjoy it!**

* * *

Chapter 12

Sarah awoke to the sweet smell of maple syrup and the strong smell of coffee wafting through the air. It was one of the pleasantries of coming back home. Waking up to the smell of breakfast being made in the morning. Breakfast was the only reason she woke up early. Most days she just rolled out of bed at noon to be ready for her one o'clock class. She was not a morning person, unless the morning involved a good breakfast.

She sat up in bed and straightened her back, stretching her arms above her head, purring with content. She quickly leapt out of bed, threw on her robe, and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Except when she got there, the light was on, the door was locked, and the shower was running. Inside she could hear the singing of her brother, belting at the top of his little lungs some pop song.

Sarah banged loudly on the door. "Toby! Open up! I need to brush my teeth." The singing continued as the water sprayed. She groaned, finding this all too familiar. Every time she came home for holiday they would fight over the bathroom. It can be annoying in the moment, but she had to admit that she missed it. She banged harder on the door. "T O B Y!" she yelled louder.

"I can't open up, I'll get the floor all wet!" Toby exclaimed back at her.

"Come on, just put a towel on the floor!"

"Mom said to stop doing that! That's why we got a new rug!"

"UGH!" Sarah groaned again. "How long are you gonna be?"

There was a pause, then finally another response. "I just got in!"

Sarah threw her head back in exasperation. She knew Jareth was already up and didn't want to keep him waiting on her. _Fine, I'll just brush my teeth after breakfast_ , she resolved, stepping away from the bathroom door.

She crossed over to the guest room where Jareth was staying and knocked on the door. "Hey, you in there?" There was no reply. She knocked again, this time a little louder. Looking around before saying his name, she called out to him. "Jareth…?" After still no response, she turned the door knob and let herself in. The window curtains were drawn open, letting light shine into the clean room. There was no sign that anyone had even slept in the room. The bed was neatly made, the blankets even tucked into the corners. _I'm surprised he even knows how to do that. I'm sure he has his maids make his bed back at the castle._

Coming out of the room, Sarah made her way down the stairs. The strong scent of bacon and pancakes saturated the air much more prominently down there than in her room. Entering the kitchen, Sarah found that Jareth had already made his way down. He sat at the table, already dressed for the day in a cotton button up shirt and tan slacks. His hair was smoothed back, a little wet from his morning shower still, and a piece of misplaced hair lied upon his forehead. His mismatched eyes were focused on the morning newspaper while a mug of hot coffee sat in front of him.

Sarah was so mesmerized by the sight of him in such a casual state that she didn't even hear Irene say her name.

"Sarah!" Irene exclaimed at her step daughter, making Jareth look up from the newspaper he was so studiously reading, and even Gavin looked up from his Game Boy to stare at his friend's mom.

Sarah's gaze was broken by the sound of her step mom's shrill exclamation. Walking over to an empty chair next to Jareth, she finally spoke up. "Yes?"

Irene put her hands on her hips while giving Sarah a judgmental glare. "Don't you think you could've washed up a bit before joining us at the table?"

Sarah looked down at her night clothes, just a simple black t-shirt and some old gray gym shorts. She combed through her tangled bed head with her fingers, stopping when they got caught in a knot. "Uh…" she looked down with embarrassment, rubbing the crusty sleep out of one eye.

"It's impolite to our guest," Irene said through a smile, throwing at glance at Jareth.

Sarah shrugged. "Toby was hogging the bathroom. I figured I'd wash up after breakfast. It's not that big of a deal, Irene."

"Sarah," Irene said, her voice a little harsher than before. "No one wants to see you in this gross state. Go comb your hair, brush your teeth, and put something decent on for our guest."

Folding his newspaper and setting it on the table, Jareth cleared his throat. "Mrs. Williams, Sarah's state is no offense to me. All I want is for her to be comfortable in her own home." He gave Irene a crooked smile, making Irene's heart flutter unbeknownst to him.

"Well, I—um, okay," Irene stumbled over her words, trying to find something to say to redeem herself.

Sarah gave Jareth a smile, mentally thanking him for shutting her step mother up. She had never seen her so at a loss for words.

Getting up from her chair, Sarah grabbed a mug from the cabinet above and filled it with steaming coffee from the pot. As she poured milk into it, she watched her coffee go from black to creamy tan as the milk swirled. And as she stirred it with a spoon, she heard her father step into the kitchen, talking on his work cell phone, which was the size of his head.

"I told you, Mark, I don't work on weekends…well tell him he can wait until Monday when I'm actually _in_ the office! He's out of his mind for thinking I'm going to fax him _anything_ on a Saturday morning!" Robert took his seat at the head of the table. When he looked down to see that his morning coffee and newspaper were not on the table in front of him, his face scrunched into dissatisfaction and pursed his lips. "Mark I gotta go…" Without further hesitation, Robert set his phone down on the table and glanced at Jareth, who had returned his eyes to the newspaper. Robert lifted a brow and set his gaze on his wife. "Irene?"

Irene turned from her attention at the stove to her husband. "Yes, dear?"

"Coffee?"

"Oh yes!" She remembered, taking up Robert's coffee mug from the kitchen counter. But when she arrived at the coffee pot, it was empty. "Oh, there's no more."

Sarah took her seat again next to Jareth, sipping on her coffee. "Oh, I'm sorry dad. I finished the pot," she said with an apologetic glance at her father, and then set her eyes on the article Jareth was reading in the newspaper.

As Irene began another pot, Robert sighed with irritation. "What have we said about finishing something and not replacing it in this household?" he said in a strict tone.

Sarah winced at her father's voice. "It's just coffee, dad. Relax, Irene's making more."

Robert turned to Jareth, seeing _his_ newspaper being used. "And I suppose I won't be reading the business section this morning, either!"

"Robert!" Irene chastised her husband.

Jareth neatly folded the newspaper he had been reading and held it out towards Robert. "My apologies, sir, I didn't know you had certain rituals in the morning."

Robert, with slight hesitation, took the newspaper, eyeing the man dauntingly. "Well, I only said something because I'm representing a business in court and the newspaper wrote something about it and I would like to read what they said about my client."

Jareth nodded. "I understand, sir. I'm quite keen on the sports section."

To that Robert's attention pricked up. "You don't say? What sport?"

"Your American football is quite entertaining. When I moved here my students recommended that I go to a home game, and while our team is quite horrible, it did spike my interest in the sport," he said, receiving a confused look from Sarah.

 _He sounds so convincing. Where does he come up with this stuff? Does he just pull it out of his ass on the spot? Or has he been thinking about this for a while?_ Sarah questioned to herself, sipping on her coffee as she listened to the two men talk.

Robert's facial features relaxed from being so worked up, now enjoying the small talk at the table. "Yeah, that college isn't good for anything other than their English department. That's the whole reason why Sarah decided to attend. Do you have a favorite pro team or does your knowledge stop at college teams?"

Jareth chuckled, folding his arms on the table. "I'm quite partial to the Cubs, and I suppose the Patriots, only because they're the home team," he smirked.

"Hey, Patriots are a damn fine team! Home team or not, I'd still root for them." The two of them shared in a laugh as Irene set Robert's coffee mug in front of him and set two plates in front of Jareth and Sarah filled with eggs, bacon, and silver-dollar pancakes.

As the men talked, Sarah tuned out, enjoying her breakfast and the atmosphere. That is, until Irene spoke up.

"Sarah, have you taken your medicine yet?" Irene questioned with a stern undertone.

Sarah lowered the piece of bacon she was about to take a bite out of. "No, Irene, I literally just woke up not too long ago."

Irene crossed her arms in front of her and gave Sarah a cold look. "Any other day I wouldn't care if you took it or not, but I do _not_ want you having a mental breakdown or looking crazy in front of Grandma Anne today. You freaked her out at the last Christmas party and she left early. I want you as mellow as possible tonight, got it?"

Sarah stayed silent, looking down at her plate, suddenly not hungry anymore. The conversation between Jareth and her dad was put on pause and there was an awkwardness in the air that made Sarah want to run away. She shoved what was left of her pancake in her mouth and swallowed, hardly even chewing. "I'm going upstairs to freshen up." Quickly standing, she grabbed her plate and even snatched up Jareth's, he still holding his fork, giving her a questionable look. "Jared, come with me." She quickly placed everything in the sink.

"Jesus, Sarah, let him at least finish eating," Irene criticized her.

Jareth stood from his seat at the table. "It's quite alright, Mrs. Williams, I was done anyway. It was delicious." He gave her a gracious smile, making her cheeks turn a fiery red.

Sarah took Jareth by the wrist and whisked him off upstairs into her bedroom.

Passing Sarah on his way to the kitchen, Toby walked in, his hair dripping wet from his shower. "Oh Gavin, you're still here?"

Irene and Robert both turned to the little boy who was still seated at the table, silently playing his handheld game and sipping on orange juice, the two adults forgetting that he was even there at all.

Gavin nodded to him friend, finally looking up at Irene and lifting his empty glass to her. "May I have some more orange juice please?"

"UGH!" Sarah groaned, now inside the sanctuary of her own room. She stormed around her room, just grabbing items of clothing to change into, fuming with anger. Once she was done, she stood in front of Jareth, who had taken a seat on her bed, and ran her fingers through her hair. She sighed, trying to compose herself before she spoke. "I…am going to take a shower. You can stay in here if you want. I just figured it would be a little awkward being alone with my parents. I just…had to get out of there as soon as possible."

Jareth nodded with understanding. "I'll be right here waiting. Unless you would like some assistance in there," he said cheekily with a grin.

Sarah couldn't help but smile, lifting her spirits slightly. "I'll call you if I need you," she said sarcastically before walking out the door.

Locking herself up in the bathroom, she sighed, gazing into the green eyes of the reflection in the mirror. "I just need to get through the rest of this day, power through the party tonight, and then I get to go home." Pausing, she looked down into the sink, frowning and knitting her brows together. _But what is home?_

Turning the shower on, Sarah contemplated the meaning of the word for her personally. _This used to be my home…_ she thought as she shed her clothes off and dumped them in a pile on the floor. _Used to be my home until I moved out, then my apartment became my home…_ She stepped into the steaming shower and drenched herself as the steam enveloped her body. _Is the castle my home now?_ She closed her eyes and let the water flow over her face. Behind her eyelids, surrounded by darkness, she could see Jareth's handsome face, his crooked smile and mismatched eyes. She found herself smiling too in the warm waterfall of the shower. _I don't care where I am. As long as I'm with him, I am home. I want to be with him. I want to be with Jareth._

Suddenly feeling a jolt of confidence, Sarah scrubbed herself down, rinsed off, and towel dried off quickly. She threw on her clothes and rushed into her room. Throwing the door open, she stepped in, heart set on confessing her love to Jareth. But her words stopped short when she found Toby sitting next to glamoured Jareth, a crystal in his small hand.

"So this will protect stop my nightmares?" Toby asked, looking up at Jareth with wide eyes, paying no attention to Sarah who had just made an entrance.

Jareth nodded, taking the crystal from his hands. "Yes, and when you turn it like this," he swirled the crystal ball around his hand and when it landed back in his palm it had transformed into a necklace. It was a gold chained necklace, with a small charm that resembled the Goblin King's own amulet. "It's a little piece of the labyrinth with you. Keep it on at all times." He slipped it over Toby's head and it dangled to his chest.

Toby clutched the necklace in his hand and looked down at it, admiring its details. Tucking it into his shirt, he timidly looked up at Jareth and gave a shy smile. "Thank you," he said before jumping up and running past Sarah out of the room.

Stepping into her room and shutting the door, Sarah lifted a brow questioningly at what had just transpired in front of her. "What was that all about?" she asked, forgetting all about the reason why she rushed out of her shower in the first place.

"He knew all along," Jareth said, a proud smile pulling on the corner of his mouth. "He knew who I was from the moment he saw me, he just didn't want to expose me. He sought me out when you were in the shower and asked me about the labyrinth. I asked him if he was having any nightmares and he said yes. To protect him I gave him a piece of my magic for the time being. It gives off a faint touch of magic so that his nightmares won't be so bad."

Sarah nodded. "I saw that. Thank you for doing that for him," she said, relieved that Toby will at least have a good night's rest. "But that won't help him, not for good anyway."

Jareth saw the way Sarah's face fell. Toby would meet the same fate as her if he didn't come live as a Labyrinthian royal as he was fated to be. He had to win Sarah over as soon as possible and convince her to stay with him so that he could save Toby as well. "I promise you, precious, that I will do everything in my power to make sure that Toby won't be affected by the leftover magic on him."

Sarah looked into those comforting mismatched eyes that held so much power and fervor. She felt her heart start to race, and that confidence that sprang forth inside her before now ran scared like a frightened puppy.

Before Sarah could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Without invitation, Irene stuck her head in, red hair curled and face made up for the party. She clicked her tongue in disapproval at the two and shook her head. "Just wait until your father hears about you two being alone in your room. He will have a conniption!" While Sarah rolled her eyes Irene stepped in, exposing her already in her green satin wrap-around dress with a plastic holly brooch pinned on her chest. "What do you guys think? Too flashy?"

Sarah's eyebrows raised at the beautiful material of the dress and how much the neckline plunged. "Wow Irene, I've never seen you wear something so…vibrant."

"Well, I just want to look good for our guests," she beamed brightly at Jareth, resting a hand on her hip which the dress clung too quite flatteringly.

"You look quite stunning, Mrs. Williams. And might I say that green is your color," Jareth said, laying on the charm very heavily.

Sarah watched as her step-mother became flustered. _If she swoons any more she might faint,_ she thought. _Then again, that would get her out of my hair. Keep up the charm, Jareth!_ "Did you only come in here for Jared's approval or did you need something?"

"Oh!" Irene exclaimed, gathering herself. "Your father and I are going to the grocery store to pick up a few last minute things for tonight. Gavin left earlier, so all you have to worry about is making sure Toby gets ready for tonight. And if I were you I would also start getting ready. The guests should be arriving around five so make sure you are ready by four-thirty. And I mean it Sarah. I don't want you tip-toeing down the stairs thirty minutes after everyone has arrived. I want you downstairs greeting everyone and introducing your boyfriend."

Sarah gawked at Irene. "For the last time, he's _not_ my boyfriend," she said through her teeth. "And please don't go around saying that. I don't want people getting the wrong idea."

Irene nodded, hardly paying attention to her. Waving Sarah off, she turned to leave the room. "Just make sure you're ready."

Rolling her eyes, Sarah closed her bedroom door and turned to Jareth. "I can't wait for this day to be over with."

Two hours later, Sarah found herself chasing an eight year old boy around the house with a tie and sweater vest in her hands. She had gotten him to put on his pants and button up shirt, now it was a matter of convincing him to put on a sweater vest and tie. "Toby! Just put the damn vest on so I can tie your tie!" Sarah said through her teeth as she peered down at her brother from the base of the stairs.

Toby stood at the top of the stairs, arms crossed tightly in front of his chest, eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "No! I told mom I'm not wearing that!"

Sarah took a step up, holding up the clothing in her hands. "This is what Irene left out for you, Tobes. Just put it on!"

"It looks stupid!" Toby exclaimed down at her. Before Sarah could bound up the stairs, Toby make a dash for his bedroom and slammed his door. Sarah heard the familiar lock from the inside of the room.

Annoyed, Sarah asked Jareth for some assistance. And in just a few short minutes, with the help of some magic persuasion, Toby stepped out of his room, allowing Sarah to pull the vest over his head and knot his tie around his neck.

Taking a breath of relief, Sarah made her way to her room, checking the clock on her wall. "It's already four, where the hell could they be?" Sarah asked herself aloud. She turned to Jareth who had followed her back into her room.

While she was fighting Toby to get dressed, Jareth took the time to dress himself for the party. He wore navy blue wool slacks, dark brown leather oxfords, a crisp white button down shirt, and a herringbone tweed vest with a green and navy blue tartan tie underneath. Sarah was always taken aback by how impeccable his Aboveground style was. She loved the way he looked Underground, but she might have to ask him to put on a suit like that more often.

Biting her lip, Sarah threw open her closet door. "Shit, I don't even think I have enough time to get ready. Toby took all of my getting ready time." She pulled out an old black knee length skirt, cringing a little at its faded appearance. "I don't even think I have anything to wear. I figured I had left some of my clothes here, but I guess not the right ones." She put the skirt back and rifled some more.

Jareth watched Sarah hurriedly search her closet, amused by the way her lip curled up at the sight of the old clothing. She was so used to her pampered life of the castle already, being made up and having someone else pick out her clothing. That's when he had a brilliant idea. "Sarah, I have a solution."

Sarah spun around, raising an eyebrow. "And what is that?"

With a snap of his fingers, the window was thrown open and a bubble appeared wafting into the room by a gentle breeze. When the bubble popped, there stood a couple of figures in the center of the room. Figures that Sarah recognized as her handmaids.

Sarah's face lit up at the sight of the twins. "Delia! Dimitra! Oh, I am _so_ happy to see you two!" She threw herself to them, engulfing the two girls in a tight embrace.

Delia and Dimitra squeezed her back, wide smiles breaking out across their faces. "Lady Sarah, we are so pleased to see you again," they both said.

"Delia, Dimitra," Jareth called to the girls, snapping them out of their reunion.

The maids released Sarah and curtsied in front of their king. "Your highness," they both rang out. Looking up at him, they both raised a brow. Confused, they looked to each other for a clue.

"Your majesty…" Delia started.

"You look funny," Dimitra stifled a laugh, but quickly retracted it after her sister removed her elbow from her ribs.

Jareth rolled his eyes at the two quirky servants and gave them his orders. "You are to make Sarah over in less than half an hour, got it?"

The twins nodded and bowed their heads. "Yes, sire," they said, turning to each other a grinning.

"We've missed you so much, Sarah!" Dimitra beamed.

"You are going to be the most beautiful girl at the party, Lady Sarah," Delia said, sitting Sarah on her vanity chair and examining a lock of her hair.

"I doubt that. My cousin Ashley is going to be there. She's the beautiful one of the family," Sarah said, allowing the two to pick at her.

"You are the most beautiful one wherever you go, precious," Jareth said, sitting on the bed and watching the two do their thing to Sarah.

Delia and Dimitra sniggered to each other with a knowing look, but quickly stopped when Sarah tossed them a disapproving look.

Miraculously, twenty minutes later Dimitra and Delia put the last finishing touches on Sarah's hair and face. They stepped back and allowed Sarah to look in her vanity mirror. Sarah was so amazed at the work the two managed to pull off. They hid the bags under her eyes, the redness around her cheeks, managed to cover a few skin blemishes, and in reasonable timing. Sarah could barely put on her eyeliner straight. She marveled at the sultry smokiness of the glittering dark purple eyeshadow on her lids and how far her eyelashes reached for the ceiling. Her lips were plump and glossed over with a sheer nude color. Her hair rippled in big, chocolate curls.

Delia stepped forward, hiding something behind her back. "And last but not least, something pretty to wear," she said, bringing forth a dress for Sarah to examine. It was a just above the knee black velvet dress with long sleeves and a high scoop neck, and upon further inspection Sarah found little specks of glitter in the fabric.

"Let's not forget the shoes," Dimitra said, presenting a pair of black suede Mary Jane heels with black bows on the adjusting strap of the shoe. "It's a simple outfit, but it makes a nice statement."

"The king wanted you in something a little more family friendly," Delia chimed in. She came in close to Sarah and whispered, "But still a little sexy for the man in your life." She winked glanced over at Jareth, who was perusing Sarah's collection of books on the bookshelf.

Sarah took the dress, ignoring that comment, and reveled in it. "It's absolutely perfect, you guys. I don't know what I would do without you."

Dimitra and Delia bowed their heads. "You'll never be without us," they said together. And when they looked up they had a twinkle in their eyes. "All you have to do is call." And with that, they waved goodbye to Sarah and dissipated into a cloud of glitter.

Outside, Sarah could hear her parents' minivan pull up to the house. She quickly gathered herself and shooed Jareth out of the door. "I'll be ready in a minute! Just wait for me in the guest room!" She slammed the door shut in his face and hurriedly changed her clothes.

A few minutes later. Jareth heard a knock on his guest room door. "Come in," he called out, watching Sarah slip into the room. He noticed that she opted to wear some sheer black pantyhose underneath her dress, which fit her perfectly. Her beauty never failed to take his breath away. It also left him speechless, standing there before her with a crooked smile on his face, admiring her loveliness.

Sarah wrung her hands in anticipation. She was waiting for him to say something, but all he did was stare at her with longing in his eyes. Blushing, she finally said, "Well? What do you think?"

"You're beautiful as always, precious," Jareth said, wanting to reach out and caress her blushing cheek and kiss every inch of her, but he restrained himself.

Fiddling with a strand of hair quite flustered at his reaction, Sarah took a step forward so that the gap between them was closed. "But do you think my family will like it? I just want everything to go smoothly," she said with a tired sigh. She wrapped her arms around Jareth's torso and leaned her head on his chest, feeling the warmth radiate from him. "I just don't want you to see that side of my family."

Jareth wrapped his arms protectively around her. He had never seen her this vulnerable, even when she broke down and cried in front of him. Feeling her body close to his, he knew this is where she belonged. Close to him, where he could protect her and comfort her. "Have you ever thought about your happiness instead of just your family's?"

Sarah shook her head. "My happiness doesn't matter to them."

Jareth lifted Sarah's chin so their eyes could meet. Those green orbs flooded with tears that threatened to spill onto her cheeks. "It matters to me." He leaned down and placed a kiss on Sarah's forehead.

The kiss seemed to burn into her and made her crave more of them. She wanted to stay in that room with him forever and never leave. To stay here in his arms would be like heaven to her. Unfortunately, the sound of Sarah's name being called downstairs from her father turned her heaven into a hell. She tore away from Jareth's embrace and took ahold of his wrist, bringing it to her face. His wristwatch read five o'clock. "Shit, Irene wanted us downstairs before five. Come on, before she starts screaming," as soon as she said this, Irene shrieked her name from the bottom of the stairs for her to come down. Sarah rolled her eyes and let out a huff of air. "And so it begins."

* * *

 **I'm so glad I got this chapter out. I'm telling you guys this semester was crazy for me. I was planning on writing the actual party in this chapter but it just got too long and I wanted a fresh start. I promise the fluff and romance will be coming your way! I'm dying for Sarah and Jareth to be together already!**


	13. Chapter 13: Christmas With the Williams

***IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!***

 **This chapter has been highly revised! It was what made me change the status to an M rating but I've decided to change it back considering the rest of the story would not be considered M. If you want to see the original, just message me and we can work something out. It's not graphic, but definitely rated M.**

 **With that being said, please enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 13

Sarah and Jareth made their way down the staircase when the doorbell rang out, signaling the arrival of the first guest.

Irene quickly shuffled from the kitchen to the foyer, her heels clicking against the floor hurriedly. "That must be Carol! Dammit, I should've known she'd be here right on time. The appetizers aren't even in the oven yet!"

Sarah walked up behind Irene, tapping her on the shoulder. "Jared and I could help with that, Irene," she said.

Irene looked bewildered. Sarah was offering help? That was a first. "Thank you, Sarah, but I wouldn't want our guest to be helping with the party," she said, gesturing fondly to Jareth, who was standing beside Sarah now. "You two can stay out here and mingle with the family."

 _Irene not screaming at me to help out? That's a first,_ Sarah thought as she watched her step mother hurry to the front door and open it.

"Irene!" exclaimed a familiar voice in the doorway. Sarah's aunt Carol hugged Irene and let herself in, her big family following behind, giving Irene a hug as they passed. Carol, Robert's sister, was notorious for always being right on time. Anywhere she went she parked outside ten minutes early, waited until the time came, and made her very punctual appearance, to the dismay of her family. Her husband, Todd, was tall with salt and pepper hair. He always dressed well and looked groomed. Probably due to Carol's anal ways. Their three children were as perfect as their parents, at least that's what they led on. The youngest was in middle school, Andy, a boy of twelve years old who played baseball. The middle child, Steven, another boy, in the tenth grade, who played football, the apple of the coach's eye. And then there was the eldest, Ashley, a girl closer to Sarah's age, and a sophomore in college.

Ashley was perfect in the eyes of her family. She did ballet when she was younger, on the honor roll, made valedictorian, and made the dean's list her freshman year. She went to church frequently and even volunteered at the local homeless shelters. She was brilliant. But Sarah knew better.

Ashley was Sarah's closest cousin. Maybe not by choice of her own, but they grew up together and they were close in age. Because of this, Sarah knew all of Ashley's secrets. In high school, Ashley went to the craziest parties. She drank, she smoked, she slept around; how she managed to pull off becoming valedictorian was beyond Sarah. She could barely keep up her grades while being in a school play at the same time, but Ashley managed to get straight A's all while partying it up. Now that she was in college, there was no exception. Ashley still went to parties, drank, experimented with drugs, had a wild sex life, and kept a 4.0 GPA. Sarah tried to not be bitter over the fact, after all, Ashley was the closest thing to a friend she had, but sometimes she couldn't help it.

Ashley's hazel eyes lit up as soon as she saw Sarah. She ran to her and threw her arms around her, squeezing Sarah's torso a bit too hard. "Sarah, it's been forever!" Ashley exclaimed, releasing her favorite cousin so that she could finally breathe and reply to her.

Sarah smiled and nodded at her younger cousin. "Hey Ashley, I've missed you," she said in a subdued manner, unlike her rambunctious cousin.

Ashley tossed her long black curls over her shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. She was ecstatic to see Sarah. It had been a little over a year since they had seen each other. Carol had heard the trouble Sarah was having and decided to keep her family at a distance. She didn't want them seeing that sort of thing. That being said, Ashley had no idea the kind of things Sarah had gone through. She was still just the pretty older cousin she admired and wanted to be like.

"How have you been?" Ashley asked, catching a glimpse of Sarah's new cropped hair. "You cut your hair!" She marveled, reaching out and examining a lock of the tousled chocolate curls. "Now we're not twins anymore," she pouted. Ever since they were little people have told them that they looked alike. Both had long dark hair, green eyes, the same nose, same height, and they even sounded the same.

Sarah shrugged. "Yeah, I just thought it was time for a change," she said, pushing her hair behind her ear.

Ashley's attention finally turned to the new man standing a little behind Sarah, who was watching Sarah protectively as she spoke. Ashley's eyebrow perked up and a little smirk graced her berry colored lips. "And who's this, Sarah?" She asked inquisitively.

Sarah had almost forgotten that Jareth was there. It was starting to feel like any ordinary family Christmas party as soon as she started talking to her cousin. Sarah touched Jareth's arm and brought him forward. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce. Ashley, this is Jared, Jared this is my cousin Ashley."

Ashley looked up at the man who's charm radiated off of him and smile gave her goosebumps. She giggled nervously, words escaping her. Ashley was never one to get giddy. She was used to being around males. She had two brothers in sports who would always bring their teammates around. Not to mention she was like a boy magnet at school. But this man was different. He exuded danger and mystery. He gave her chills. She liked it. And she knew Sarah liked it too by the way she looked at him. Like a fire sparked in her emerald eyes. A spark Ashley had never seen before.

Jareth held out his hand to shake the girl's hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Ashley. I see Sarah's beauty runs in the family."

Ashley's lips curled into a flirtatious smile. "I never knew you had such good taste in men, Sarah," Ashley said, smiling up at Jareth. "The pleasure is all mine, Jared."

Sarah noticed how Ashley held onto Jareth's hand a few seconds too long for her liking. She also noticed how Ashley leaned forward a bit, the dipping neckline of her dress drooping forward and revealing a good amount of cleavage. Sarah found herself getting hot with jealousy. She scowled, crossing her arms in front of herself. "Ashley, you should go say hi to my dad," Sarah interrupted.

Ashley snapped out of her focus on the man in front of her and straightened up. "Oh yeah. Don't want Uncle Richard getting all butt hurt because I didn't say hi," she rolled her eyes and walked off to find Sarah's father.

Jareth eyed Sarah slyly, noticing the irritated look on her face as she watched Ashley seek out Richard. "You know, Sarah," he said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you seem a tad jealous."

Sarah scoffed. "What would I be jealous of?" She demanded.

"The attention I gave your cousin."

Sarah felt offended. "As _if!_ Do you really think me so childish as to think that I would be jealous over you giving a compliment to my cousin?"

Jareth shrugged his shoulders. "The look on your face says it all, precious."

Sarah sneered. Okay, she had felt a little jealous and now she felt silly, but she would be damned if she admitted it to him. "I just think it was rude of her to come on to you knowing that you're my date," Sarah told him.

Jareth grinned. "So I _am_ your date after all? After denying it for so long?"

Sarah shrugged, feigning indifference. "Well, everyone already thinks that, might as well just go with it."

Jareth continued to smirk at her, his mismatched eyes sparkling with mischief.

Sarah scoffed once again. "Stop looking at me like that!" But she knew that he wouldn't drop it until she told the truth. "Alright fine, I was a little jealous, but you don't understand. Ashley is absolutely boy crazy and you're good looking; I can't help but be a little on edge with her around."

Jareth gave a triumphant chuckle. "So you fancy me like this?" He said, referring to his glamour.

Sarah shifted her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "You're obviously good looking. You've already won Irene over, now Ashley." She turned her head away from him so she didn't have to look him in the eye. "Besides, I like long hair and glitter a lot better."

Jareth turned Sarah's face to look at him and leaned forward. "Keep this up and you might get to see that later," he cooed to her.

Sarah felt herself getting lost in his remarkable eyes and charm, but she was soon brought back when her aunt walked up to her.

"Sarah! How have you been?" Carol asked, bringing her into a tight hug. "It's been so long, darling."

Sarah cringed as she was being squeezed. "I'm great, Aunt Carol," Sarah wheezed. When Carol got her response, she tossed Sarah to the side and marveled at Sarah's male companion.

"And who is this?" Carol asked, a twinkle in her hazel eyes.

Sarah straightened up after being tossed aside and returned to Jareth's side. "This is Jared," she said. "My date," she added in a stern tone.

Carol's overly plucked eyebrows raised in shock. "A _date?_ Does your father know?" She said teasingly. "Well, he looks to be a very _fine_ man," she said.

Jareth found this opportunity to chime in. "It's very nice to meet you, Mrs…?"

"Oh you can just call me Carol, sweetie," said Carol. Before anything else could be said, Carol brought Jareth into a tight hug. "What can I say? I'm a hugger!" Finally releasing him after an excruciating few seconds of what felt like an anaconda constricting it's prey, Carol's attention found another. "Oh, there's little Toby! I swear I would just pinch his cheeks off!" And as soon as Carol was there, she was off again.

Sarah crossed her arms and shook her head. "Most of the time I don't know which of Carol's faces to look at."

Jareth chuckled at Sarah's remark. "Everyone seems harmless so far."

"Oh don't worry, it doesn't take this family long to show their true colors in front of strangers. Give them a few more minutes." Sarah led the way into the sitting room where the two waited for the rest of the guests to arrive.

About half an hour later, the party was in full swing. The adults were enjoying spiked eggnog and cider, and the young ones gulped down their virgin versions of the drinks. Sarah was enjoying her time with Jareth, sipping their cider while Sarah pointed out each family member and revealed their flaws.

"That's Eddie, Irene's brother. He's an engineer for a big oil company and a grade A jackass. He tried hitting on me when I was sixteen and when he realized I wasn't eighteen yet he ignored me until I was. It wasn't until my grand title of 'The Family Shame' broke out was when he finally stopped harassing me," Sarah said bitterly, taking a big swig of her cider.

Jareth squeezed his glass so hard that it surprised him it didn't break. "I should throw him into the Bog right now," he said through clenched teeth. "Would you like me to? You have only to wish."

Sarah gave a half hearted laugh. "If he were anyone else, sure. But I'm sure Irene would go into full blown panic mode if she no longer heard from her brother again. And when Irene is stressed, everyone is stressed."

"Maybe I could just have some goblins destroy his house when he's out one day?" Jareth suggested.

Sarah pretended to think about it. "Nah, I don't think stooping to his level will get us anywhere."

 _"_ Speak for yourself, precious. I love good old revenge," he said with a twinkle of mischief in his eye.

Sarah slapped his knee teasingly. "I'm sure you do _,_ Goblin King," she whispered to him, leaning in closer so no one could hear her. Once again, she found herself transfixed in his eyes. Those deep pools of blue, and that charming mismatched eye that used to haunt her in her dreams that she now loves. His eyes were like magnets that drew her in and kept her there. She didn't even realize that her hand was still on his knee. And she didn't even realize that Ashley had walked up behind them.

"Get a room, lovebirds," said Ashley, leaning over the back of the couch.

Sarah's cheeks grew bright red and Jareth had a good chuckle. "We're _not_ lovebirds!" Sarah responded defensively.

Ashley held up her hands in surrender. "Whoa there, killer, I'm just kidding," she said with a wink. "By the way, have you introduced your man-friend to grandma yet?"

Sarah groaned aloud. "Damn that old lady! Isn't she getting too old to travel?"

Ashley let out a hearty chuckle. "You would think a handicapped seventy-two year old woman with a heart murmur would be, yet she still manages to wheel herself out of that retirement home every year to come to this lame party. You know, all that time being cooped up in that place you'd think she'd have something better to do than talk shit about everyone."

"Everyone except you and your perfect brothers," Sarah mumbled under her breath.

Ashley scoffed. "We are _not_ perfect. And besides, grandma only sees what she wants to see. For instance, I bet she's not even going to notice I'm gone while I take a smoke break outside. Instead she's going to be nitpicking at Irene's party decorations because _that_ is what she wants to see." She lifted the flap of her small purse and revealed her carton of cigarettes with a wink. "And you are going to introduce Jared to her so I can slip out unseen by her."

Sarah drew her brows together with scrutiny. "Why should I help you?"

Ashley smirked triumphantly. "Because if you do, I'll be on your side when everyone starts the 'Shit on Sarah Show'."

Sarah rolled her eyes and groaned. "Fine. But only because I need all the allies I can get." She turned to Jared, who had just finished off the rest of his cider. "Oh good you finished. You're gonna need a good buzz while we go talk to my grandma."

Sarah and Jareth made their way to the living room where most of the family had gathered to chit chat. Sarah's grandmother sat in her wheelchair, a scowl on her face and a sugar cookie with a bite in it in her hand. Irene stood in front of her, and it seemed like she was getting a lecture.

"You know, Irene, if I knew you were going to try and bake I would have given you a much better recipe. I could put a pile of sand and wet cement in the oven and the result would come out more decent than these hockey pucks," Grandma Anne muttered, setting the cookie on a napkin on the stand table next to her.

Irene forced a smile, but the corner of her eye visibly twitched, signaling to anyone with a sense of body language that she was becoming increasingly irritated. However, Grandma Anne, as said before, only saw what she wanted to see. "I didn't want to bother you for just a cookie recipe, Anne," Irene said politely.

Grandma Anne rolled her eyes. "Of course not. God forbid anyone in this family bothers to pick up a phone and give me a call."

Irene was about to say something, but instead, noticing Sarah and Jareth coming her way in the corner of her eye, her face lit up. "Sarah, Jared! Thank god—I mean, Sarah, have you introduced your boyfriend to Grandma Anne?"

"Not my boyfriend," Sarah corrected.

Irene gave Sarah a straight-mouthed scowl. "Just introduce Jared to your grandmother," she said in a low voice through her teeth before storming away into the kitchen.

Sarah approached her grandmother apprehensively. "Um, hi grandma."

"It's been half an hour since I've arrived and you're just now coming to greet your grandmother?" Grandma Anne spat.

Sarah took a deep breath in, trying to maintain her composure. "I wanted to introduce my…my…" _Crap, what do I introduce him as to my grandma?_ Sarah thought, scrambling for an idea.

"Well, if he's not your boyfriend, who is he?" Her grandma demanded.

Jareth gave the old woman a smile and held out his hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Williams. My name's Jared, I'm Sarah's date for the evening," he introduced.

Grandma Anne sneered and turned away from Jareth's outstretched hand. "How is he your date and _not_ your boyfriend?" She questioned.

"Well, um, we…" Sarah stammered, trying to find her words.

"Don't be difficult with me, Sarah. Your parents may put up with your problems but I will not," Grandma Anne said in a stern voice.

While Sarah struggled with her words, it pained Jareth to see her in such peril. "I'm not her boyfriend yet because I have yet to obtain your approval, madame," said Jareth, much to Sarah's surprise.

Sarah gave Jareth a look of bewilderment, then back at her grandma. Grandma Anne pursed her wrinkled lips, smeared with red lipstick with a shaky hand, and narrowed her eyes at the man before her. "Shouldn't you be asking the father to date the daughter?"

"I thought it would behoove me to receive permission from the matriarch first," Jareth said, laying down the charm heavily.

"Hmm," Grandma Anne looked Jareth up and down before saying another word. "I guess if you have the patience to deal with Sarah, you deserve her," she said spitefully.

Sarah's hand balled up into a fist, but the touch of Jareth's hand on hers quickly calmed her growing anger.

"I could never deserve Sarah," he said, looking down at her, giving her the reassurance she needed to get out of the situation unscathed. "I only wish to make her happy." He gave her hand a squeeze, the tingling feeling crawling up his spine and a longing gnawing at him to take her and kiss her right there. "And for her to accept me."

Sarah looked up at him, finding sanctuary in his eyes, feeling the magic once again fill her with the need to touch him and be with him. Waves of electricity flowed through her at his touch, and she never wanted to let that feeling go. "We're gonna go…help Irene in the kitchen, Grandma," Sarah said, making an excuse to leave the conversation.

"Good luck with that. Your step mother needs all the help she can get," Grandma Anne muttered, wheeling away from them.

Sarah pulled Jareth away into the foyer, hands locked together and the feeling of need for one another grew stronger the longer the skin to skin contact persisted. As soon as they were alone Sarah let go of Jareth's hand, the waves of electricity and tingles dissipating. "What were you talking about? Accept you how, Jareth?" Sarah asked, referring to what he said to her grandma. Her eyes begged him to tell the truth.

Jareth saw the longing in her eyes. The longing to know the truth. The truth of how much he loved her. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. He had made a fool of himself before, eight years ago, and he would not let himself be made a fool again. He would not put himself through that heartbreak again. "Sarah, I can't," he said in a low voice.

Sarah reached out and placed a hand gently on his chest. "Why not?" She asked softly, almost in a whisper.

It killed Jareth to see the pained look on Sarah's face. "Precious, I—" he began, but the front door opening behind them cut him off.

Ashley walked in wearing her big baby pink puff jacket, sprinklings of snow gracing the crown of her raven hair. She took her jacket off and hung it on the rack near the door, still shivering from the cold outside. "It's freezing balls out there," she said, turning towards Sarah and Jareth, noticing that they were having a private moment. "Oh, my bad. Did I walk in at a bad time?"

Sarah shook her head, her hand sliding back to her side from Jareth's chest. "No, it's fine."

"Oh okay…" Ashley said suspiciously. Glancing upwards, Ashley noticed the green holly tied up to the ceiling that hung down just above Sarah and Jareth. With a smirk, Ashley walked past them and turned around to face them again. "Hey everyone!" She shouted loud enough over the Christmas music and chatter. "Sarah and Jared are underneath the mistletoe."

There were a few hoots and whistles from the crowd from cousins, aunts, and uncles. "First one of the night!" Said one of the cousins from Irene's side of the family.

Sarah gave a hesitant look up at the mistletoe hung above her, then out at all the people. "Um," she muttered, giving Jareth a look of panic.

Jareth looked down at her, paying no attention to their audience. Her approval was the only thing he looked for. "Sarah, you don't have to if you don't want to."

 _Oh, I want to,_ Sarah thought, but her family is what made her nervous. She had dreamed of having her first kiss with Jareth, but none of her dreams involved an audience, especially one made up of family members.

"Oh my God, Sarah. Stop being such a prude and just kiss your boyfriend!" Ashley said, urging Sarah.

With butterflies in her stomach and resolve in her heart, Sarah steeled herself. She rose onto the balls of her feet, squeezed her eyes shut, and gave Jareth a peck on the lips. Even that small kiss made her spine tingle and her heart crave more. Opening her eyes, her gaze was met with Jareth's, his mouth upturned into a crooked smile.

Jareth was surprised. He always knew Sarah to be someone who never gave in to peer pressure, but he knew the pressure her family put her under was more to crush even steel. Looking down at her, he noticed the crimson flush in her cheeks, the sparkle in her eye, the way she bit her bottom lip in almost a seductive way. He had never seen her look at him like that before; like a lioness stalking her prey. It made him want her.

"Well that was anti-climactic," Ashley muttered, turning away from them. It seemed that everyone had gone back to their regular conversations after seeing that. "That was like watching Toby give Grandma Anne a kiss," Ashley said, talking to one of her brothers, who just nodded in agreement.

Sarah paid no attention to everyone as they seemed to gossip about Sarah and her "so-called-boyfriend", as some have said over the course of the party. Sarah led the way back to the sitting room that seemed to be unoccupied by the rest of the family. They sat together on the lavish sofa, laughing awkwardly at what had just transpired. "Can you believe them? They pressure us into kissing and then make fun of us when it wasn't up to their standards."

"People will never be satisfied, precious. You have nothing to worry about," Jareth said. "Besides, I'm not complaining." He gave Sarah a wink, sending her into a tizzy of nervous laughter. "But if you do wish to have a redo, I believe now is the perfect time for practice."

Sarah bit her lip nervously. She felt her heartbeat quicken and her palms become sweaty. _Is he just joking or his he serious? Because I am totally up for more practice!_ She thought. But her thoughts melted away when she noticed how he leaned in closer to her, his hand coming to rest behind her as he closed the distance between them. _Oh my god, he's going to kiss me! Don't do anything stupid, Sarah. Don't run away from the intimacy._ _Just close your eyes, relax your lips, and..._

"Food's ready!" Irene called from the other room.

 _Run!_ Sarah ducked her head as soon as Jareth got close enough and stood, receiving a slight head rush in the process. She ignored the woozy feeling from moving too fast and smoothed out her dress. "Time for food! Food is good, food is just what I need right now. Irene is really good at making food. We should go get some food!" Sarah rambled anxiously. She stood in the doorway of the sitting room, waiting for Jareth to follow her.

Jareth hung his head dejectedly from Sarah's rejection. _Just as I thought things were heating up,_ he thought, straightening his tie and clearing his throat.

As the two walked into the kitchen where everyone was lined up with plates to get food, Ashley walked up behind Sarah and tapped her on the shoulder. "We have to talk, girl," she spoke in a low voice.

Sarah turned to Jareth and smiled apologetically. "I'll be right back," she said before leaving him and walking into the living room with Ashley alone. "You okay?" She asked her cousin with confusion.

Ashley scoffed. "Yeah, I'm great, but are you?"

Sarah knit her brows together. "I don't know what you mean."

Ashley rolled her eyes at Sarah's ignorance. "What are you doing? And before you answer that with feigned innocence, I mean why are you being so cold to your date?"

Sarah was taken back. "I-I'm not-"

"Really, Sarah? You only sometimes introduce him as your date, half-ass flirt with him, and that grandma kiss under the mistletoe? Come on, Sarah, get real. Do you even like this dude?" Ashley asked dubiously.

Sarah was at a loss for words. She knew she was being reserved around Jareth, but cold? Cold was unintentional. Cold was something Sarah didn't want to be. "Of course I like him," Sarah said, looking behind her shoulder and seeing Jareth still in line, sparking up a conversation with one of her uncles. Looking back at Ashley, Sarah had a worried look in her eyes. "Ashley, I…I love him."

Ashley's eyes grew in size. "Shit, man, I didn't know you _loved_ the guy," she said in a low voice. "No wonder you're being so shy around him."

"I don't know what to do. I've never felt this way before!" Sarah worried on her lip, her lipstick practically gone at this point.

Ashley took Sarah by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Sarah don't freak out. It's obvious Jared is totally into you."

"It is?" Sarah asked, panic written all over her face.

"Yes! How can you not tell? You're like the only person in the room to him, and when he looks at you it's like he's looking at priceless piece of art. He practically worships you, and you're telling me you had no clue?" After receiving a blank stare from Sarah, she took that as her answer. "Jesus Christ, Sarah, how are you this clueless?"

Sarah broke away from Ashley, pacing the length of the fire place against the wall. "I don't know what to do!"

"Well you have to tell him," said Ashley matter-of-factly.

Sarah stopped in her tracks, panic stricken once more. "How the hell do I do that?"

Ashley shrugged, her eyes wandering towards the kitchen. "I don't know, but you'd better find out quick because here comes lover-boy now." She quickly put on a smile and gave Jareth a wave as he walked in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's our turn in line and I didn't want to go ahead without Sarah," Jareth said, pointing with his thumb back to the dwindling line in the kitchen.

Ashley nodded. "You didn't interrupt, in fact I think we're all done here," and with that, Ashley left the two alone, giving Sarah a wink before disappearing into the other room.

Jareth stepped closer to Sarah, who was looking down at her feet and biting her lip in apprehension. "Something on your mind, precious?"

Sarah looked up at him with anxiety filled eyes. "A lot of things," she practically whispered.

"You can always tell me anything, Sarah. I'll always be here," he told her gently.

"Promise?"

"What kind of king would I be if I didn't mean what I say?"

"A historically accurate one," she said, receiving a chuckle from Jareth. She gazed up at him. Ashley was right. He looked at her differently than he did everyone else. There was a spark in his eyes when their gaze met. It was almost electric. Sarah knew in her heart that she had to tell him, had to confess her love that night or she would go absolutely mad. She took a deep breath and steeled herself. "Jareth, I…"

Sarah was cut off by the sound of clacking heels entering the room. They both turned around to find Irene standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. "Sarah, Jared! You guys come get a plate before everything gets cold."

"Be right there," Sarah said, cursing Irene internally for interrupting her flow. Irene rolled her eyes but walked back into the kitchen anyway.

Jareth turned his attention back to Sarah. "You were saying, precious?"

Sarah balled her hands into fists at her sides. _Damn Irene! She ruined the moment. I can't tell Jareth I love him like this! I'm going to have to wait for the perfect moment._ "Um, I'll tell you later. I'm really hungry now, let's get food first." She led the way back into the kitchen where everyone had their food and was eating and chatting happily.

After dinner, the family gathered into the living room to tell family stories and update on their personal lives.

"I made Dean's list again this semester!" Ashley announced proudly. The whole family clapped and gave her praise.

"I'm so proud of my beautiful granddaughter," Grandma Anne said, patting Ashley's hand as she sat next to her.

"So I guess you're on the right track to graduating in a couple of years, yes?" Richard asked.

Ashley nodded triumphantly. "Yep! And I'm really striving for magna cum laude."

"With you're grades, sweetheart, you could even reach summa cum laude," Carol announced with a proud simile on her face.

"Sarah, when are _you_ graduating?" Sarah's cousin Steven asked.

Sarah just shrugged her shoulder, not wanting to speak. "I'm not sure…" she said, lowering her head and trying to make herself seem small. Maybe then she could shrink herself so much that she would disappear and not have to talk to her family.

Richard furrowed his brow. "You said that you're only a semester away the last time we spoke, Sarah. Is that true or not?"

Sarah bit her lip anxiously. It was true that the last time she spoke to her father about school she had told him that she was graduating that spring. But that fall semester had been particularly tough on her, and now it looked like she had to retake some classes. "I'm about…a semester behind…"

"A semester?" Richard repeated, stunned. "Sarah, you were supposed to graduate last year."

"I knew she shouldn't have taken that time off of school," Karen spoke up.

Ashley looked to Sarah confusedly. "Sarah, why did you take time off of school?"

Sarah opened her mouth to speak but her father interrupted. "She was volunteering," he lied, embarrassed of his daughter's truth.

Grandma Anne rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Don't lie in front of your mother, Richard. The family deserves to know that your daughter went on a psychotic rampage. For god's sake, she pulled a pair of scissors on herself!"

Sarah bit the inside of her bottom lip so hard she drew blood, but still she bit and bit until the pain was so unbearable that she couldn't keep her voice to herself. "To my hair!" She exclaimed, reaching up to grasp her curls, close to pulling them out. "I pulled them on my _hair_! Hair is supposed to be cut, why is that such a bad thing?"

Grandma Anne gave Sarah a hard look. "You wouldn't have done that if you could just be normal," she said in a stern tone.

Sarah felt her heart race and tears began to prick at the corners of her eyes. She breathed in and out steadily, trying to stop the tears from escaping. She looked down at her feet, deciding to give up on trying to defend herself.

The family was silent. Ashley's mouth was agape, suddenly learning that the older cousin she looked up to wasn't the person she thought she was.

Jareth couldn't believe his ears. Sarah was in pain, and her family couldn't even spare a single word of encouragement. His hands balled into fists at his sides and his face set into a look of disapproval. _If only this were my world,_ he thought angrily. _They would all suffer their consequences in the Bog of Eternal Stench!_ He couldn't just idly stand by as Sarah's family continued to attack her.

"She's just like her mother," Grandma Anne retorted. "No amount of counseling or medication can fix that. She'll end up just like her, Richard, just you wait."

It was then that Sarah suddenly burst into tears. She covered her face with her hands, sobbing into them.

Ashley gasped, jumping up from her seat and spinning around to face her grandmother. "Grandma!" She gasped in shock.

Richard turned away from everyone, too embarrassed to be seen. He stepped away into the kitchen, Irene soon cautiously following behind him.

Everyone else just looked at each other awkwardly. No one had talked about Sarah's birth mother out loud since her passing. Now that the cat was out of the bag, they all desperately wanted the cat to be caught and shoved back in. But it was too late. The damage was done.

As Sarah sobbed in her hands, Jareth set a soothing hand on her shoulder to show her that he was there for her, but his icy cold stare was somewhere else. His eyes narrowed on Grandma Anne as she slowly sipped on a glass of red wine, unbothered and unmoved by anything that was said. "Sarah," he said in a low voice. "Go to your room."

Sarah peeled her hands away from her face and looked up at him, her red and puffy eyes were full of hurt. Black streaks of mascara ran down her cheeks and were even all over her hands. She could see a steely resolve in Jareth's eyes, making her think that he was going to do something. "Jareth, what are you going to do?" She said in a hoarse whisper.

"Go, precious, I'll be up in a minute." He gave a gentle push on her back as she left the room. But she didn't go to her room, she stopped halfway up the stairs, listening in on what was going to happen in the living room.

Jareth stood there, watching as everyone casually went back to their conversations, all except Ashley who had stalked off to the kitchen to talk to Richard and Irene. He stood there and watched in disgust, his upper lip curling up in distain. _Vile humans,_ he thought. _A waste of a species._

"You should all be embarrassed," Jareth announced, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "You should all be bloody ashamed of yourselves."

Grandma Anne raised an overly plucked eyebrow and gave him a disgruntled look. "And who the hell are you to tell us this?"

"I'm the man that watched you tear down an innocent girl for things out of her control. I'm the man that loves that girl, far more than any of you have ever loved her. You are all vile, despicable humans, and you will get what you deserve," Jareth seethed before turning and walking away without another word.

Sarah swallowed her tears as she listened to Jareth lecture her grandma. When he confessed that he loved her, Sarah's heart almost leapt out of her chest. She slapped her hand over her mouth before she could choke out a sob, not wanting Jareth to hear that she was eavesdropping. But as soon as his speech was done and she heard him coming towards her, she quickly but silently creeped up the rest of the stairs and made it into her bedroom, where she paced the floor, waiting for Jareth to make his entrance.

Jareth tried not to stomp his way up to Sarah's room or use magic to destroy everything in his path. He clenched his jaw and tried with all of his might to keep up his glamour until he was upstairs, but it wavered a little on the way there, his anger effecting his magic. Throwing open the door, Jareth's glamour faded away and what was left was the real Goblin King, glitter and makeup included, standing there in the doorway of Sarah's room.

Sarah turned abruptly from pacing when her door was thrown open suddenly. She was surprised to see an unglamoured Jareth standing there, seething with anger. At that point Sarah's tears had dried and she could no longer produce anymore. She stood there, staring up at the Goblin King, dried mascara tear stains smeared on her cheeks.

She bounded to him suddenly, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in the crook, feeling his protective arms wrap around her torso like a vice grip. The need to get everything off her chest suddenly overwhelmed Sarah as she stood there in his arms. It suddenly felt so impossible to keep those three words that she had kept to herself a secret. So she parted her lips and said them: "I love you." But with her face buried into the side of his neck, the words came out all muffled and incomprehensible.

"It's okay, precious," Jareth replied, only hearing her incoherent muffling, thinking she was only crying more.

"No," she said, lifting her face from his neck. She looked at him, taking comfort in his eyes that felt so much like home. Her heart raced, but she wasn't backing down. He loved her, and he needed to know that she loved him back.

Jareth wiped some mascara smudge on her cheek away with his thumb. "You must be tired. You should try going to bed. I'll leave you for the night," he said, but before he could turn to leave, Sarah held his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his.

This kiss was nothing like the one under the mistletoe. While that one felt forced and embarrassing, this one held desire and passion. Jareth placed his hands on Sarah's hips and pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss even further. After a couple of minutes, the two broke.

Jareth gave Sarah a bewildered look. A kiss was the last thing Jareth had on his mind in that moment, and now it was everything he craved.

Sarah looked up at him, a smile pulling at the sides of her mouth. The kiss was everything she had wanted it to be. Sure, what transpired before it was far from anything Sarah wanted to be a part of, but this was a perfect way to make her forget about it. "I said I love you," she said slowly, wanting Jareth to hear every syllable and every word.

Jareth could hardly contain his joy. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms, whisk her off to the castle, and show her exactly how much he loved her. Instead, he took her by the hands and said, "I've waited a lifetime to hear you say that, precious."

"So I'll keep saying it for another lifetime. I love you, Jareth," she said, pressing her lips against his once again. She pressed her body against him, wanting so badly to be close to him in every way. She craved his kiss, his touch. She wanted to feel him on her bare skin, the heat of his flesh searing against her's. Her mind went numb and her spine tingled and exploded with shockwaves of pleasure. _More more more more_ , was all she could think of. Her instincts said to push him onto her bed and have her way with him right then and there, but she needed to reel herself in, she needed to take control of this situation now. She needed to— _Oh just pipe down, Sarah, and stop overthinking things! For once in your life, just let things happen,_ she screamed internally.

As the room heated up with their visceral passion, so did they. After a few minutes of fiery making out, Sarah was starting to get frustrated. She broke from Jareth's lips and looked up into his eyes. "Jareth," she started, but that's all she got to. She paused, not sure of how to word it. "I, uh…" she struggled with the words.

Jareth searched her face for a sign of what she was trying to say. He hoped to god that it wasn't second thoughts. He watched her look away from him in embarrassment. Reaching for her chin, he raised her gaze back to him. "No need to be embarrassed, precious. You can tell me anything," he assured her.

She bit her lip, looking into his dreamy eyes. "I want you to…you know…" she muttered, still not knowing how to ask.

It only took Jareth another moment to realize what Sarah was insinuating. When it finally clicked, he chuckled aloud. "I was trying to be a gentleman about it. I don't want you thinking that's all I want."

"It's all _I_ want right now," Sarah confessed.

"Well, me too, I just didn't want you thinking that," he said with a cheeky smirk. His lips crashed into her's once more.

Sarah backed Jareth into the bed, the back of his knees hitting the edge and fell there, Sarah following on top of him.

Their bodies moved together in beautiful harmony, like a boat rocking with the sea, like a flower blooming for the sun's rays. Their minds going numb, their skin tingling, bolts of electricity pouring through their veins. Every touch, every moan, every kiss, every sigh of _I love you_ pushed them further and further until their bodies couldn't take it anymore, until they both collapsed, holding each other close. Love consumed them, and as they lie there, Sarah looked up at the ceiling above her bed, stroking Jareth's hair, watching remnant specks of glitter flutter in the air.


	14. Chapter 14: To Queen, or Not to Queen?

Chapter 14

Sarah lied there in her childhood bed, her head resting on the bare chest of her Goblin King, finger tracing circles lightly across his skin. The sun outside had barely risen, the clock beside the bed read six o'clock. Having not been able to sleep all night, Sarah was wide awake.

Jareth felt the little motions Sarah was making on his chest and awoke bleary eyed and sleepy. He wondered why she was awake so early. The two hadn't fallen asleep until three o'clock in the morning due to their "activities". He raised a hand and patted her head. "Sarah?"

"Hmm?" She replied, still absentmindedly tracing circles and staring at the wall.

"How long have you been awake?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

Sarah sat up next to him, running a hand through her messy bed head. "I haven't really fallen asleep…" she confessed, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them.

"Is anything the matter, love?"

With a sigh, she replied, "Let's go home."

Jareth sat up the rest of the way, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Now?"

Sarah nodded. "Right now."

The two of them got out of bed, dressed themselves, and took to gathering their belongings. Jareth left Sarah's room to sneak back to the guest bedroom to retrieve his suitcase while Sarah stayed to spruce up her room. The two met in the hallway, Jareth in his usual glamour and Sarah with her bed-head hair pulled back into a ponytail.

Before Sarah could take the first step downstairs, she remembered something. "Toby," she whispered in the dimly lit corridor. Turning back, she tiptoed to her brother's room and opened it.

The sun was just barely peeking through the blinds of the window, but the little Batman night light plugged into the wall lit the room well. Sarah sat at the edge of the bed and stroked the soft cheek of the little boy. "Toby, wake up," Sarah whispered, shaking the boy lightly.

Toby woke up with a small groan, rubbing his eyes and blinking away the harshness of the light in his room. "Sarah? What time…?"

"It's barely six-thirty in the morning. You don't have to get up, Tobes, I just wanted to say goodbye."

Toby sprang up as soon as the words left Sarah's mouth. "You're leaving already?"

"I… _we_ have to go," Sarah said, glancing back at Jareth, who was leaning against the door frame.

"You're leaving forever," Toby whined, pouting his bottom lip out.

Sarah shook her head. "I'll come back to visit soon, I promise."

"But you're going back to the castle, right?"

Sarah furrowed her brows at Toby's inquisitiveness. "Yes…?"

"You have to stay there, Sarah," Toby said, giving her a very serious look.

"I can come back any time, Tobes, Jareth and I have a deal," she said, trying to calm him down.

Toby shook his head adamantly. He placed his little hands on Sarah's shoulders and looked her dead in the eye. "The labyrinth hurts," he said in the most serious tone Sarah had ever heard from him.

Sarah opened her mouth to say something, but her confusion stopped her. She glanced back at Jareth, and she noticed the grave look on his face. His brows were furrowed, mouth set in a hard, straight line. When she turned back to Toby, he was giving Jareth a worried look. He wrapped his hands around the pendant he wore around his neck that protected him, squeezing it so hard his little knuckles turned white.

Placing a hand over his to calm him, Sarah hushed him and tried to get him to lie back down. "The labyrinth is fine, Toby. It's just a thing, it can't feel like you and me. Just lie back down and go back to sleep. I promise I'll be back in time for Easter," she tucked Toby's blanket over him and under his chin as he lied back down.

Toby was still eying Jareth anxiously when Sarah kissed his forehead and stood. She was surprised to see Jareth standing beside her.

Jareth kneeled down to Toby's level. "The labyrinth will not be harmed, Toby. I will not allow it."

Toby just nodded, but he still wasn't convinced. He knew when adults lied to him about bad things just to spare his feelings. It happened a lot when Sarah stopped coming home as frequently. His parents said that she was too busy with school, but he knew it was because Sarah was sad. "You promise?"

"On my life," Jareth said with a light-hearted smirk.

The two snuck out the front door, Sarah closing it ever so gently as to not wake her parents. After putting her luggage in the trunk and Jareth magically whisking his away, Sarah sat in the passenger seat, pulling her knees to her chest and hugging them. She watched as Jareth pulled out of the driveway, and as they drove away she didn't look back.

Toby's words niggled at her mind. _The labyrinth hurts_ , he had said. But what did that mean? Her forehead creased with worry.

Jareth threw a glance at Sarah next to him. The telltale worry lines on her forehead gave away that she was deep in thought. _Always over-thinking things,_ he thought. He cleared his throat, breaking Sarah out of her hypnotic state of pondering. "Penny for your thoughts?" He asked her.

"I'm just wondering what Toby was talking about," Sarah said, running a hand through her hair. "He's _actually_ worried about the labyrinth. Like it's some sentient being."

Jareth couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, Sarah, you have much to learn."

She turned to him, an eyebrow raised. "What?"

Jareth sighed, giving her another glance. "Well I was hoping for a more formal lesson on the labyrinth and Underground history and what not, but a brief explanation will have to do, I suppose." He paused as he came to a stop light. "You know how the labyrinth is always changing?"

Sarah scoffed. "Yeah, I have first hand experience with that. Not a very fair way of running things on your part."

Jareth laughed again. "The labyrinth changing has nothing to do with me. She moves and breathes around us. She knows when something is going on around her. Most importantly," he said. "She knows what she wants."

"So now the labyrinth is a 'she'?" Sarah asked with a smirk.

"That's just how the labyrinth chooses to present herself to me."

Sarah nodded, taking all the new information in. "Well I still don't appreciate her trying to sabotage me during my run of the labyrinth." She crossed her arms in front of her.

"Well if it's any consolation she does feel sorry about that," Jareth said.

"I guess I'll forgive her," Sarah said with a smirk.

"She does have her reasons though."

"What, trying to please you?"

"No, no," said Jareth, shaking his head. "The labyrinth has her own agenda."

Sarah raised a questioning brow. "An agenda for what? Keeping me in?"

"Sort of. Like I said, she knows what she wants."

Sarah let out a chortle. "Okay, so you're telling me the labyrinth wants me to stay?"

Jareth was silent, eyes glued to the rode, but a certain glint in his eyes gave away the truth.

"The labyrinth _does_ want me to stay!" She exclaimed, pushing her hair back. She sat up straight in her seat, eyes wide with shock. "I—but…what if I…?" She stammered trying to protest in the nicest way possible.

Jareth turned into Sarah's apartment parking lot. "Sarah, if you have objections to staying, there is nothing I or the labyrinth can do about it. As you've said before, I have no power over you. You may leave the Underground whenever you wish. However, if you do wish to leave, I cannot promise that I can protect you from the magic turning on you once again."

The car came to a stop in a parking spot in front of Sarah's building. She bit her lip as Jareth turned the car off. The two sat there silently, Sarah mulling over her possibilities. On one hand, why would she want to come back to this reality? Living alone, failing classes, feeling worthless. On the other hand, this world was all she knew. Toby was here, Ashley was here, some of her favorite places were here. She turned to look at Jareth, who was out of glamour and leaning on the steering wheel looking out the windshield. She frowned. _Jareth wouldn't be here,_ she thought, a sadness coming over her.

She opened her car door and let herself out into the crisp, cold air. Jareth had popped the trunk open by the time Sarah rounded the car and retrieved her suitcase.

Upon entering the warmth of the apartment, Sarah tossed her luggage aside and stripped herself of her coat. After that, she began pacing her living room floor. "So, what?" She spoke up finally. "The labyrinth is hurting because she wants me to stay? Forever?"

Jareth stood near the door still, watching Sarah pace anxiously. "Correct."

"So, if I _do_ stay forever what will that mean?"

Jareth took a couple steps closer to her. "It means you'll become a citizen of the Underground."

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, I don't believe for a minute that that's all there is to it, Goblin King." She plopped down on the sofa and patted the spot next to her. "I want you to tell me _everything."_

Jareth sighed. He saw that steely resolution on her face. She wasn't going to settle for a vague explanation of things, and she wasn't going to give up. _Now that's the champion I know,_ he thought, taking a seat next to her.

"I was hoping that you wouldn't find out like this," he began. "But I suppose it is now or never. Do you remember the pendant I gave Toby?"

Sarah nodded. "Of course. It'll protect him from bad magic and help with his nightmares."

Jareth nodded as well. "Well, it is only a temporary fix." He paused, watching Sarah's eyes widen with concern. "Toby _will_ have to return to the labyrinth once again."

Sarah's forehead creased with suspicion. "You said that as long as you kept coming around him he would be fine."

"That's what I thought at the time," Jareth said, rubbing his chin. "But that was before I knew Toby could feel the labyrinth's pain. You see Sarah, Toby _must_ return to the labyrinth by his eighteenth birthday to claim the throne that is rightfully his."

"Claim the throne?!" Sarah exclaimed. "You mean he's…"

"Toby is the heir to the Goblin throne, yes," said Jareth matter-of-factly. "And if he doesn't claim it, magical pendant or not, the magic will turn on him, and it will be far worse than your case."

Sarah sat staring hopelessly at the ground, mouth hung open in shock. "Tha…that can't be. How is _he_ the heir to the Goblin kingdom?"

"Because I made him so during your run."

"Why the hell would you _do_ that!"

"Because I thought you were going to lose!"

Sarah threw a look of detest at Jareth. "You thought I was going to lose so you made my baby brother your heir?! Nice going, Goblin King! You really didn't think _that_ one through!" Her voice grew louder, her anger rising.

"Well you weren't supposed to win nor leave the labyrinth!" Jareth exclaimed back at her.

"Well ex _cuse_ me for wanting to save my brother from becoming a goblin! How was I supposed to know that you were bluffing?!"

"Because I love you and I wouldn't do that to you!"

Sarah went silent, standing and turning her back to Jareth. "Well I didn't know you loved me," she said, her voice barely over a whisper. She crossed her arms in front of her, but when she felt the warmth of Jareth's arms wrapping around her waist she seemed to melt into him. Even when she wanted to be mad at him, she couldn't, because just the slightest touch made her languid.

"I don't think the labyrinth could wait for Toby's eighteenth birthday, anyway," Jareth said, resting his chin on Sarah's shoulder. For the past two days Jareth felt his magic dwindling the slightest bit. It wasn't a drastic change, but he feared that if the labyrinth would not get what she wanted, in a mere few years, he and the rest of the kingdom's inhabitants would be doomed.

Sarah turned in Jareth's arms to face him. "What do you mean?" She said, placing her hands on his shoulders. When she looked up at him, something was different. He looked tired, the slightest hint of dark circles under his eyes. And, while he was always a bit on the pale side, it looked as if all the color was drained from him.

"If the labyrinth does not get what it wants, then it could be the end of her, her inhabitants, and the Goblin City," he said gravely.

"And what about you?" Sarah asked, cupping his cheek with her hand.

He didn't say anything, but the grim look on his face told her everything.

"What can we do? Toby can't leave this soon, he's only eight!" Sarah said helplessly.

"Toby is not what the labyrinth wants right now," Jareth said. "The labyrinth wants a queen, Sarah. The labyrinth wants you."

Sarah just looked up at him, mouth hung slightly open. _Queen?!_ She screamed internally. "B-But…I…" she stammered, but the right words were lost on her. She shook her head, stepping away from Jareth.

"This is why I didn't want you to know," Jareth said, watching the panic on her face turn to horror.

" _Didn't want me to know?!_ " She repeated. "That's kind of an important thing for me to know!" She started pacing the floor again, pushing her hair back. " _Me? Queen?_ I can barely order my own pizza over the phone, and _I'm_ supposed to be co-owner of a whole kingdom? And how were you just not going to tell me something like this?"

Jareth hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "I was going to—how do you say…wing it?"

Sarah was dumbfounded. The _Goblin King_ was going to _wing it_. She couldn't even believe it. "Okay, 'winging it' is when you don't study the night before you know you're gonna have a pop quiz. 'Winging it' is when you improvise when you forget a line in a play. 'Winging it' is when you submit your resume to a job you know you're not qualified for but you do it anyway because you might be surprised. This is _not_ a 'winging it' situation!" She grabbed fistfuls of her own hair and tugged on it with frustration. "This is an actual life or death situation! And I have to be _queen!_ Oh we are all doomed." She plopped back down on the couch, slouching down halfway.

Jareth patted Sarah's head, even placing a soothing kiss there too. "Sarah, there's nothing to worry about. No one is making you be queen."

Sarah huffed. "Yeah, no one is _making_ me," she said, looking up at him. "But I'm not just going to let you and everyone die just because I'm afraid I can't live up to everyone's expectations."

Jareth placed a hand on Sarah's cheek, stroking it gently, Sarah leaning into it. "Precious, everyone already loves you. The goblins adore you, the castle workers would rather care for you than me, and, well, you already know my feelings for you," he smiled at her and gave her a wink.

Sarah blushed and looked down. "Care to remind me?" She asked, needing a little pick-me-up.

Jareth leaned down to kiss Sarah's lips, slowly and carefully. "Sarah Williams, I move the stars for no one _except you_. I love you more than a goblin loves chaos."

Sarah gasped, a small smile teasing her lips. "I didn't know you loved me _that_ much."

"That much and more, precious!" Jareth said, picking her up from her slouched position to sit on his lap, rewarding him with a giggle from Sarah. "But let's not forget that you've also made royal friends, too. Luella and Narrisa absolutely adore you."

"I miss those two," Sarah said fondly, remembering the ball where she first met them and remembering how silly she felt for thinking Jareth and Luella were an item.

"They would be thrilled at the prospect of you being queen," Jareth said, laying a kiss on her forehead. "Everyone would." Despite his calming words and encouragement, there was still blatant fear in Sarah's eyes.

Sarah took a deep breathe in and let it out shakily. "I…I think maybe I just need to sleep on it."

Jareth pushed a strand of hair behind Sarah's ear. "Of course, love. Take all the time you need."

After their chat, Sarah checked her apartment to make sure everything was fine, and after that, Jareth whisked her away back to the castle.

They landed safely in Sarah's bed chambers. Everything was exactly how she'd left it when they left. She missed it. She huffed out a sigh and took a seat on the made-up bed. "I think I'm going to spend the day alone to think," she said, looking up at Jareth.

He nodded, knowing that the new information would rack her mind for a good few days before she made a decision. "Of course. I'll have Griselda bring up some lunch for you in a bit. And if you change your mind, I'll be in the throne room."

Sarah smiled half-heartedly and nodded, watching him turn and leave the room, leaving her alone with only her thoughts. She threw herself back onto the fluffed pillows.

She tried to not think about it, but all she could do was play through scenarios of humiliation if she became queen. She fluffed the pillows under her head and closed her eyes, trying not to think about it anymore, but three unsuccessful minutes later, she opened her eyes again and let out an annoyed huff.

"I don't know why I'm over-thinking this so much," she said aloud, trying to comfort herself. "It's not like I even have a choice here. I'm _going_ to be queen; there's nothing to mull over here. I'm going to be queen, nothing bad is going to happen, and everything is going to be fine." She worried on her lower lip, unable to convince herself. "Or at least I hope so."

Sarah almost jumped out of bed when she heard three sharp rasps on the door. Startled, she hopped out of bed and went to the door. Opening it, she found Griselda there, towing a tray of tea and scones.

"Mornin', luv!" Griselda chirped, pushing herself and the tray past Sarah and into the room. "Gotcha a nice cuppa tea and some freshly baked peach scones." She wheeled the tray next to the bed and got to work straightening out the bedsheets Sarah had messed up when she threw herself onto it earlier. "His majesty told me you were feeling a wee bit down today, so I brought ya a piece of tart as well."

Sarah looked at the beautiful array of tea and scones as well as a sliver of tart with vibrant fruit arrayed on top. The fact that Griselda thought to bring her something special to cheer her up almost brought tears to Sarah's eyes. "Thank you," Sarah said, wrapping her arms around the short goblin woman in a warm hug.

Griselda was taken by surprise from the sudden affection, but she gladly embraced Sarah back. "My word, Miss Sarah, what's gotten into ya?"

Sarah blinked back tears and pulled away from the hug. "Nothing, I just…" She patted the corners of her eyes to wipe away any moisture that escaped. "I missed you," she said with a smile.

Griselda gave her a warm smile back to her, the many wrinkles in her face crinkling more. "Oh, you sweet darling girl! Zelda missed you too," she said fondly, giving Sarah's cheek a pinch. "Now go have a sit and drink your tea before it goes cold," she ordered, waving Sarah away.

Sarah sat on the velvet chaise in front of her bed with a cup of tea in her hands.

"So," Griselda began, still tidying things up behind Sarah, or at least pretending to. "How did the visit go?"

Sarah started coughing, spitting out a little bit of tea, taken aback from the question. "Uh," Sarah hesitated, worrying on her lower lip. _Oh, nothing much happened. I was just verbally assaulted by my own family, confessed my love to your king, and then had sex with him. No big deal_. Sarah scoffed internally. There was no way she was going to tell Griselda what happened the other night. But then again, she _really_ needed to talk to someone.

Sarah's thoughts were interrupted by another rap on the door. Two distinct ones, actually. Sarah stood and made her way over to the door again, and when she opened it she was greeted by the familiar lilac eyes and pink and blue hair of her handmaidens. Sarah sighed in relief to see Delia and Dimitra.

"Good morning, Sarah," the two girls said in a chipper tone.

"His majesty told us to keep you company for the rest of the day," said Delia.

"He said that you weren't feeling too well," Dimitra said with a look of concern.

Sarah crossed her arms in front of her chest, her mouth setting into a thin line. "Is he letting the entire kingdom know that I've had a rough weekend?"

Delia and Dimitra looked at each other with mischievous smirks.

"What happened, Sarah?" Delia asked, a pink brow cocked.

"Yes, Sarah, what has you upset? Tell us," Dimitra added.

Suddenly Griselda was also at the door next to Sarah, peeking her head through to look at the twins. "Oh no you don't, you cheeky little brats! Those questions are above your class. I suggest you keep your nose out of Lady Sarah's business."

The two young girls huffed at Griselda and made pouty faces.

"But we just heard you ask the same thing!" Dimitra said.

"We could hear you from outside the door!" Delia said as well.

Sarah rolled her eyes at the three. "You're _all_ nosy!" She grabbed Delia and Dimitra by their wrists and pulled them inside, shutting the door with her foot along the way. "Okay, I'll tell you three everything, but you _can't_ tell anyone."

The three of them looked at each other with triumphant grins. "We promise!" They all said cheerfully.

"Okay," Sarah sighed, taking up her cup of tea and sitting at the foot of her bed. "Everyone have a seat. It's gonna be a doozy."

Delia and Dimitra both kneeled, sitting their bottoms on their heels. Griselda chose to sit on the chaise; much easier to get to what with her old joints and such.

"So, it all started when Jareth sent goblins to my apartment _without_ my consent…" Sarah started her whirlwind story, starting at the point where she got the phone call from her parents in the first place, to the part where she realized she was in love with Jareth, to their arrival at her parents and how good Jareth looks in his glamour, to the party on Saturday, then she got to what happened after the party.

She took a deep breath in and looked at everyone's faces. They were all so enthralled. Griselda had a very serious face; you could tell she was listening very intently. Dimitra's face looked dreamy, like she was picturing herself in Sarah's position. Then Delia's face was lit up like a Christmas tree, her smile wide and her eyes round and gleaming with wonder about what Sarah's was about to say next. Sarah steeled herself before blurring out, "I told him that I was in love with him and then we…slept together," she cringed when she heard herself actually say the words out loud.

The twin's faces dropped when they heard that.

"You slept?" Asked Delia.

"That's it?" Dimitra asked.

Griselda clicked her tongue at the naïve girls. "Not _sleep_ sleep, you twats," Griselda spat at them. "They had a _bonding ritual."_

The two girls gasped, looking at each other with gaping grins. "You _bonded_ with the _king?!"_ They both exclaimed, then quickly slapped a hand over their mouths when Griselda lifted a hand to scold them.

Sarah turned to Griselda with a look of confusion on her face. "Bonding ritual?" She asked.

Griselda lowered her hand and nodded. "Here in the Underground, we don't partake in such pleasures of the flesh as people do Aboveground. Well, the acts are pretty much the same, but the meaning and purpose are a little different. You see, the bonding ritual is only used for those who are truly in love or just simply have a passion for each other. None of this 'hit it and quit it', as you humans might say."

Delia and Dimitra wrinkled their nose at the term Griselda used and Sarah blushed.

"No, there is no 'no strings attached' relationships here. The bonding ritual is for people who wish to grow closer, physically and spiritually."

Sarah grimaced. "So then, that means Jareth wants to be…that way with me?"

Griselda shrugged her shoulders. "His highness _is_ from the Underground, so that could be the case. But he has spent some time in your neck of the woods and is accustomed to human rites and rituals."

Sarah bit her lip. Of course nothing was as it seems and everything was vague about the situation. "God, why can't anything just be easy?"

Griselda chuckled at Sarah's misfortune. "Well, deary, then that wouldn't be life, would it?"

Delia and Dimitra both looked at Griselda with admiration. "Wow, Zelda, you know everything."

Griselda laughed heartily. "You don't get to be my age without learning a thing or two!" She stood up slowly, her bones cracking and moving into place. "Now come on, you two. We mustn't dilly dally any longer, we've got chores to do."

The sound of two identical groans filled the room. "But we don't wanna," the twins said in unison, throwing their head back in feigned anguish.

"Now you stop that whinin'! That's no way for servants such as yourselves to act in front of a lady," Griselda motioned to Sarah, then grabbed the girls by their wrists and pulled them up off the floor. "And you've dirtied your garments sitting on the floor like that," she clicked her tongue at them. "Go on now and get to work. And don't let the king see you in your dirty state!"

The girls gave a curtsy to Sarah before they both fled from Griselda, who was posed to swat at them if they didn't leave quickly enough.

Before leaving herself, Griselda gave Sarah a warm smile. "I wouldn't worry too much about Jareth, dear. I know in my heart that he's never loved another as much as he loves you."

Sarah's cheeks warmed as she watched Griselda roll the silver tray trolley out of the room, but before she was out the door, Sarah called out to her. "Zelda," she said hesitantly.

Griselda looked over her shoulder at her. "Yes, dear?"

With a smile spreading across her face, Sarah said, "thank you."

Griselda smiled back, her eyes crinkling and the lines on her face deepening. "Any time, love." With that, she left Sarah alone with her thoughts.

The rest of the day, Sarah found herself trying to submerge herself into whatever would take her mind off of Jareth and the whole "queen predicament". She tried to take a nap, but her mind wouldn't let her sleep. She tried to read a book in the library, but her thoughts fell over the words on the page. She even tried taking a walk through the garden, but catching a glimpse at the peach tree grove made her feel nauseous.

After trying everything she could, it was dinner time. Following Griselda into the dining room, Sarah found that it was just as quiet and lonely as everywhere else in the castle. _Because Jareth's not here,_ her mind concluded, making her feel even more disheartened. She took a seat at her usual chair, peering across the table at the chair that was usually filled by Jareth. She sighed, worrying on her lip, knowing that she would be alone for dinner.

"Zelda?" Sarah spoke up. "Is Jareth coming to dinner?"

Griselda, following behind a new kitchen servant to fill Sarah's glass with wine, said, "Oh, I'm so sorry, dearie. I plum forgot to tell ya' that his majesty is away to have dinner with his parents. If you'd like, I'll have your meal brought up to your room if you don't want to sit by your lonesome here."

Sarah frowned. She had hoped that her suspicion was wrong, and that Jareth would just be late. Alas, Sarah would be alone for the evening.

She shook her head, staring at her wine glass as it was being filled. "No, it's okay. The table is already set for me." She looked down at the elaborate fine china with gold filigree around the edge of it. Suddenly an idea struck her, and she looked up at Griselda. "Zelda, have the maids had their dinner yet?"

Griselda shook her head. "No, no, the castle workers don't eat until well after the king and his guests eat."

Sarah smirked and said, "Well, the king isn't here, now is he?" When Griselda gave her a perplexed look, Sarah pushed her chair out and stood. "I think we should all have dinner together."

Griselda raised her thin eyebrows in surprise. " _Together?"_ She repeated, making sure she heard correctly.

"Zelda, tell the chef I'll be dining in the servants' dining room, and I'll be having whatever you guys are having."

"But…" Griselda started to argue but hesitated. "If his majesty finds out that his guest is dining with the maids—"

"I'll talk to him," said Sarah, giving Griselda a wink.

Griselda hesitated a moment. Never has she ever seen or heard of a royal guest wanting to take supper with the servants. But then she couldn't help but smile. _She really will be a fine queen,_ she thought, turning on her heels to hurry into the kitchen. "Mavis!" She cried out to the cook. "Sarah will be having her dinner with the maids!"

"But what will I do with this?" Mavis motioned to the already prepared food.

"Oh, just feed it to the Fireys!" Griselda disappeared into the kitchen, Sarah hearing a bunch of clattering of pots and pans as she entered.

"Lady Sarah," a voice next to Sarah said.

Sarah turned to see the young new servant next to her.

"If you wish, I would be happy to escort you to the servant's quarters," he bowed slightly as he talked to her.

Sarah nodded, smiling graciously. "Yes, thank you. And you don't need to bow for me," she said, reaching and lifting the boy's chin. "I'm not royalty or anything." _Yet,_ the back of her mind prodded, and a wave of anxiety washed through her.

As soon as Sarah entered the servants' dining hall, all eyes were on her. As she made her way through the aisles of tables, she could hear them whispering to each other, their eyes following her every move. A spark of anxiety shot through her as she realized they were all whispering about her.

"Lady Sarah in the servants' hall? What is she doing here?"

"She doesn't belong here."

"The king will surely reprimand her."

"Is she here to punish us?"

Sarah couldn't take it anymore. She stopped at an empty table and stepped onto the seat for everyone to see her. "Ahem," she cleared her throat, loud enough for the whole room to hear. "As most of you know, my name is Sarah, and I am the champion of the labyrinth," she started, her voice shaking a bit. "I am not here to ridicule you or punish you on Jareth's behalf. I am simply here to enjoy dinner with the people that keep this castle running and make my stay here comfortable." Her voice grew stronger the more she spoke, and everyone stopped what they were doing to listen. "So, thank you for having me, and everyone have a nice dinner."

As soon as she was done speaking, servers filed in with their meals and dispersed them. Sarah climbed off her pedestal and sat down in the same spot, watching as everyone received their dinner.

"Sarah!" Two similar voices exclaimed behind her. When Sarah turned around in her seat, she was greeted by Delia and Dimitra. The two were holding two bowls of some kind of stew, each of them wearing big smiles on their face.

"You were just simply wonderful," Delia beamed in admiration.

"Yes, whoever heard of a queen having supper with her subjects?" Dimitra said, earning her an elbow in the ribs from her sister.

"Don't mention the 'queen' word around Sarah!" Delia half-whispered-half-yelled.

Sarah cringed at the word "queen" but recovered from it quickly. "It's okay, guys. I need to come to terms with it, anyway."

The two maids beamed at her with bright smiles. "Really?!" They both exclaimed.

Sarah nodded, running a hand through her chocolate brown locks. "I mean, if you think about what, what choice do I really have?" Sarah sat back down again at the table and Delia and Dimitra followed suit. "When I was away at my parent's, I really missed you guys and this place. It got me thinking—why should I leave when I don't have to? I've never felt as welcomed there than here. If I left, I'd just be wondering what my life would be if I would've stayed. So, I decided to cut out the middle-man and just stay here. Which means…" she trailed off, finding the words hard to say.

Delia and Dimitra waited for her to finish her sentence anxiously. After a few seconds of silence while Sarah tried to search for the words, they decided to help her out.

"Which means," Delia began.

"That you'll be queen!" Dimitra exclaimed so loud that some of the maids around them turned to listen in.

Sarah grimaced at the maids that turned around to look at them. Sarah smiled at them politely, waving them to go back to their own business. "Keep it down, guys, I can't have the whole castle knowing yet. You girls are my confidants, so keep it hush-hush," she whispered.

Delia and Dimitra looked at each other with sly looks in their eyes. " _Confidants_ ," they repeated to each other, grins spreading across their faces.

"Don't worry, Sarah," Dimitra said.

"We won't say a word," said Delia. They both put their index finger to their lips, indicating that their lips were sealed.

"Won't say a word about what?" Griselda took a seat at the table next to Sarah with two bowls of stew in her hands. She slid one of the bowls in front of Sarah.

"Sarah wants to be queen!" Dimitra said aloud, and then was promptly cut off by Delia's hand slapping over her mouth.

"She said not to tell anyone!" Delia scolded her sister, swatting at her arm.

"It's okay, guys, Zelda is a confidant too," Sarah clarified.

Dimitra sighed in relief, thankful that she didn't lose Sarah's trust.

"So, that's it, then? You're sure?" Griselda asked, a twinkle of hope in her old eyes.

Sarah nodded slowly, stirring the brown stew around with a spoon. "Yes, I'm certain now. I'm going to tell Jareth tonight when he gets back from dinner."

Griselda clapped her hands together in with delight. "Oh, this is a special occasion! Perhaps I shall ask the pastry chef to bake a cake in celebration."

The spoon fell out of Sarah's hand and landed in the bowl with a _clink_. "No, no, no, I don't want a celebration just yet. I need to tell Jareth first. After that, he can decide when to tell everyone, and then I'm sure there will be a celebration of some sort."

Griselda nodded, understanding fully. "Of course, dearie." She placed a gentle hand on Sarah's shoulder. "But I'm just so happy that you've chosen to stay," she said with a joyful grin, squeezing Sarah's shoulder.

Sarah placed her hand over Griselda's tan, wrinkly one and gave her a matching smile. "Me too," she replied.

After that, Sarah spooned a bit of stew into her mouth. It consisted of some sort of meat, carrots, peas, onions, and potatoes in a dark brown sauce. As soon as she took a bite, a burst of flavor flooded her mouth. She made an involuntary groan as she chewed the meat, though it hardly needed any chewing due to how tender it was. "Jesus," she muttered as soon as she swallowed. "This is what the castle workers eat?"

Griselda saw the wide-eyed look of bewilderment on Sarah's face and couldn't help but laugh. "You expected some sort of slop, didn't ya'?"

Sarah shrugged bashfully. "I don't know, I guess I just expected it to be not that great."

"His majesty makes sure that we get the best," Dimitra said, shoveling stew into her mouth.

Delia curled her lip up at her sister's crude way of eating. "Yes, the best for our class, that is."

"Jareth is a good king," Griselda said, nudging Sarah slightly. "A good king deserves a good queen."

Sarah blushed, getting butterflies in her stomach at the thought of seeing him that night. She spooned another bite of stew in her mouth, trying not to think about it anymore.

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please don't forget to leave a review. I love hearing what you guys think about the story.**


	15. Chapter 15: A King-Sized Problem

**WOW, sorry for such a big delay! This chapter is a short one, unfortunately, but it's something. This chapter is mainly for me to get the ball rolling into the next chapter so that I'll have more to work with. So, besides that, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 15

Jareth sat at the long table of his parent's castle. He rested his cheek on his hand, watching his parent's pick at their plates while his mother nagged incessantly. All he wanted to do was get dinner over with so he could go back to his castle and see Sarah, but his mother was making it impossible for him to skip out early.

"Don't you think so, Jareth?" Rhiannon looked to Jareth, waiting for his response.

Jareth lifted his head, aroused from his catatonic stupor of boredom. "Don't I think what, mother?"

Rhiannon sighed and gave her husband an irritated look. "For God's sake, Jareth, you can't even spend one dinner with your parents without going off into some dream land! What has you so preoccupied, darling?"

"I have…business to take care of at the castle. What is it that you asked?" Jareth picked up his cutlery and started to pick in his now cold food.

His mother rolled her eyes and patted the corner of her mouth with a linen napkin daintily. "I was _saying_ that Queen Luella looked quite stunning at the ball, don't you think?"

Jareth poked at the Cornish hen on his plate with a fork. "As she always does, mother, but how would you know? You weren't even there."

"I have my ways, darling, you know that." Rhiannon held a glass of wine to her lips and sipped the dark red liquid. "Oh, and Jareth," she began, setting the glass down. "Who is this girl that you escorted to the ball?"

Jareth's fork clattered onto the plate as he looked up. A sense of apprehension arose in him when he met the feline-esque eyes of his mother.

"Rhia," Anghus interjected, trying to relieve some of the tension. "I thought we discussed that we wouldn't pry into our son's love life anymore."

"I'm not _prying_ , love, I simply just want to know," she said, whipping her head towards her husband. "So, Jareth," she turned back to eye him. "Who is she?"

Jareth sighed. He knew that if he didn't tell his mother, he would never hear the end of it. "The champion of the Labyrinth," he muttered and stuffed his mouth with food so that he couldn't talk. _Look at me, using Sarah's methods to avoid talking. She really has rubbed off on me…_

His parents looked at each other with surprise. "The champion?" replied Anghus, cocking a bushy brow.

"The champion that left you for ruin?" Rhiannon demanded. "Why, that was eight years ago. Why on earth would she be in the underground?"

"She was wished away," said Jareth, trying not to give too many details.

"Oh God's sake, my boy, just tell us the whole story and stop being so secretive," Anghus interjected.

Jareth finished off the rest of his wine and let out a defeated sigh. "Alright fine," he said. "She wished herself away and has been staying at the castle for a few weeks now. Her presence has been very effective on the Labyrinth and the inhabitants. She very well could be…" Jareth paused, wondering whether he should divulge information to them. _Mother will be very upset to know that Luella will not be the next Goblin Queen, but it is something that they must know for the sake of the Underground_ , he thought. _It's either now or later. Might as well get it over with._ "The chosen one of the Labyrinth."

Rhiannon gasped and looked to Anghus, who looked contemplative, stroking his beard.

"Well, isn't that a little tidbit of news?" Anghus said with a chuckle. "Quite a surprise, actually."

Rhiannon stared aghast at her plate, trying to find words and trying to comprehend the news. She had her heart and mind set on Luella marrying Jareth, tying the bond between the Elf and Goblin kingdoms. Now that the champion of the labyrinth was back, all her plans would be for not. _No,_ she thought. _This won't do at all._ "Jareth," she called, claiming her son's attention. "You are to take the girl back at once."

Jareth's brow raised in shock at his mother's demand. "Mother, I—"

Rhiannon slammed her fist into the table, shaking the plates and glasses. "At _once!_ " She rose from her seat with Jareth mirroring her.

"Mother, you know nothing of what you are dealing with. The labyrinth and all its inhabitants are at stake!"

"I know what is at stake!"

"Enough!" boomed Anghus, his voice shaking the entire room and quieting the other two. He rose as well, slowly, his joints moving into place. "I have had enough of this bickering. Can we not just sit and eat like civilized fae?"

Jareth and Rhiannon both glanced at each other cautiously, slowly lowering themselves to their seats once more. Anghus joined them, and for a moment there was utter silence.

"I know that the labyrinth needs a queen," Rhiannon started again, this time with a softer tone. "I am concerned what will happen to the kingdom, and most importantly what will become of you." Her eyes met Jareth's, gentle and apprehensive. "I know that Luella will be the perfect solution to our problem, and it will bring our kingdoms closer together. It may not be ideal for you, but please trust that your mother knows best."

"Not this time," said Jareth solemnly. "Luella and I love other people."

Rhiannon hung her head and closed her eyes in defeat. "How could this have happened?" she asked herself.

Anghus rolled his eyes. "No needs for dramatics, Rhia."

"For God's sake, Anghus, our son is going to throw away his kingdom for some mortal girl!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands over her face in distress.

Jareth balled his hands into fists and clenched his teeth, trying not to have an outburst. He hated how dramatic his mother could be, but at this point there was no arguing with her. He decided to save his breath instead.

"I mean, who _is_ this girl? She creates destruction in the city, injures countless goblin warriors and chickens, and to top it all off she leaves you in your own destruction to suffer from a broken heart?" Rhiannon continued blathering through the cracks of her hands. "How can that heartless woman be the Goblin Queen? Now, Luella is the epitome of what a queen should be like—she is graceful, polite, loving towards her subjects, merciful, and very pretty as well."

Jareth let out a groan involuntarily. Unable to listen to his mother's blubbering any longer, he exclaimed, "Luella is in love with Princess Narrisa!"

Jareth's statement shut Rhiannon right up. A scowl graced her royal face and she pushed her chair out. She stood, without a word she led herself through the double doors servants were holding open and disappeared.

Anghus pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache forming at the thought of the impending onslaught of his wife's nagging. "Jareth," he finally spoke. "I think it's time for you to…" When he lifted his head to face his son, all that was left were specks of glitter in the air where Jareth once sat. "Go," Anghus finished his sentence to no one but the air.

After dinner was done with and the dining hall was all cleaned up at the castle, all the maids and servants went back to their duties. Sarah, however, didn't know what to do with herself.

She ended up wandering the halls, admiring the paintings hung on the walls. She debated whether she should spend some time in the library reading, but she doubted that she would be able to concentrate. All she could think about was Jareth and what she had to tell him. She stopped in her tracks and pressed her back against the wall. She sighed and ran her fingers through her chocolate tresses. "I wish I could see Jareth…" she mumbled to herself. Before she could comprehend the consequence of her wish, she disappeared from the hallway in a cloud of glitter.

In the blink of an eye, Sarah felt the soft silk of bed sheets beneath her. Opening her eyes, she found herself in a large, elaborate room she had never seen before.

A sound could be heard from behind a door on the opposite side of the room. The knob turned on the door and it opened, a half dressed Jareth stepping out wearing only black silk pajama pants and drying his hair with a towel.

Sarah let out a relieved sigh at the sight of him. _At least I'm not in some random person's room,_ she thought.

When he heard her sigh, Jareth looked up to see Sarah sitting on his bed. "I thought I heard a wish," he said pleasantly, tossing the towel into the bathroom behind him.

"This whole wishing power I have will never cease to surprise me." Sarah dusted off remnants of glitter from her shoulder. "I hope I'm not impeding on your personal time," she said sheepishly.

Jareth went to Sarah and brushed her hair behind her ear. "No, in fact I'm quite overdue for some Sarah time." He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his body. He buried his face in her hair, taking in the light smell of vanilla that she always had.

Sarah snaked her arms around his torso, her cheek burning red on his bare chest. _He smells so good,_ she thought, trying to resist the urge to kiss every inch of his body. She made a disgruntled noise as soon as Jareth pulled away from her, and immediately received a chuckle from him.

"Now, was there a reason for this visit, or did you just miss me?" He asked.

Sarah inched to the other side of the bed to give room for Jareth to sit next to her. "Well, both I supposed."

"I'm all ears, love."

Sarah wrung her hands together in apprehension, and her heart was beating so rapidly she was practically vibrating. She tried to swallow her nervousness and looked him straight in the eye, which helped her nerves to calm just slightly. "I've made up my mind…" she began.

Jareth sat up straight, his interest peaking more. "Have you? So quickly?"

Sarah nodded. "Was there ever really an option for me to begin with? I love this city, the Labyrinth, and all of the citizens. And most of all," she curled up closer to Jareth and placed a hand on his chest. "I love you. I can't let the only place I ever felt wanted go to ruin. I would never forgive myself."

Jareth took Sarah's hand in his. "So, you're saying…?"

Sarah nodded, the corners of her mouth tugging into a smile. "I'm saying I accept my role as queen."

Jareth almost couldn't believe his own ears. He grabbed Sarah by the waist and tugged her closer to him, bringing her lips to his instantly.

Sarah straddled his waist as they kissed, but she drew back to say one more thing. "Wait," she said, sitting up. "That's not all."

Jareth groaned as soon as she pulled away. "I should've known that nothing is quite as it seems."

"I just have one condition," Sarah said with a smirk. "If I'm going to be _married_ to you, I want to at least have a first date."

Jareth let out a chuckle. "That's all? Fine, we shall have dinner together tomorrow."

Sarah gawked. " _No!_ A _real_ date. Aboveground. On my terms. You can take me to my apartment in the morning, then you'll pick me up that night to go on our date."

Jareth let out an exasperated sigh. He had forgotten how tedious mortal courtship could be. "Alright then, when shall I pick you up?"

Sarah smiled at how well he was going along with her. "Let's say seven? We can get dinner, but then after that you have to come up with something."

"So this is all on me then?" He asked a little apprehensively. It had been awhile since he had taken anyone on a date. They had all been mortal women, but times have changed. He highly doubted Sarah would like to go to a jazz club, and the excitement for "talkies" have surely died down.

"It wouldn't be the first time you've whisked me away for a magical evening." Sarah slid off Jareth to sit next to him once again. "I'm not asking you to move the stars, Jareth. Just one date to make this all feel somewhat normal."

Despite his nervousness about the whole ordeal, Jareth nodded. "I'll have to reschedule some appointments and move some things around, but for you, my precious, I'd move the entire solar system."

A smile formed across Sarah's face. "How do you always know the perfect thing to say to me?"

"I just say what comes from my heart." He smiled at her, but after a moment, his smile faded. "I just wish I knew the perfect things to say to my mother."

Sarah's face fell and her eyes filled with concern. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even ask how dinner went with your parents. I'm assuming not well?"

"Not well, indeed. Disastrous, in fact, even more so than usual. I believe I…accidentally outed Luella to my parents."

Sarah's eyes grew wide with shock. "Oh shit."

"Also, I might have told them that you are staying here in the castle with me…"

As soon as Sarah heard that she choked on her own spit and started a coughing fit. Once she was done, she uttered, " _Oh shit._ " Running her fingers through her hair with panic, she said, "So, what does that mean?!"

"I must tell you first, Sarah, that my mother is prone to dramatics."

"That doesn't make me feel better!"

Jareth winced at her anxious tone. "I'm just saying that, when certain expectations of hers don't follow through, she can get a little hostile. It has nothing to do with you and who you are."

Sarah gawked at him. "So she pretty much hates me, right? Fan _tastic,_ the freakin' queen _hates_ me and I'm about to become the new queen of her son's kingdom!"

Jareth put an arm around Sarah and pulled her closer to him. "There's nothing to worry about, precious. When my parents meet you they will fall in love with you, just as I did."

Sarah took a deep breath in and out, trying to calm herself. "I hope you're right. Unless they know about how I broke your heart and destroyed your city, leaving you emotionally shattered and magically powerless," she said with a nervous chuckle. She expected Jareth to immediately assure her that that was not the case, however, when she looked up to see his face, it looked grave.

"Oh god," muttered Sarah, burying her face in his chest. "They do know!"

"They only know the small details. It's nothing to worry about."

"So what do they know _exactly?"_

"Um…" Jareth thought about lying to Sarah just so she would feel better, but he knew it would just complicate things in the future. "Well, they know quite all of it, actually."

" _Fantastic,"_ she groaned loudly. "They hate me and they've never even met me."

"They are not going to hate you, precious," he assured her. "I will not allow it."

Sarah looked up at him with a solemn smile. "You always know what to say," she said again, lifting herself to his face and kissing his lips. "I just hope Luella won't hate you."

Jareth almost forgot what happened, and when Sarah mentioned it again he felt even guiltier than before. "Let us just hope that word doesn't get out about her, shall we?" He slumped lower in bed, running a hand through his hair. "I could really use a distraction right now," he said giving Sarah a cheeky smirk.

Sarah's cheeks heated up at the look he gave her. She rolled her eyes playfully and said, "Sorry, I don't give out until at least the third date."

"I'd say we're well past that, precious." Jareth raised his brow at her and gave her his best charming smile.

Pulling the covers over herself in an attempt to ward off his lustful gaze, she turned her back to him and laid on her side. "Nice try, but you're gonna have to wine and dine me before you can 'sixty-nine' me."

Jareth looped his arm around her waist, pressing himself against her back. "What do numbers have anything to do with wooing you?"

Sarah rolled her eyes at his naïveté and stroked his arm with her fingers. "Don't worry about it, I'll tell you when you're older," she joked with a teasing smirk.

He pressed his lips close to her ear, enough for the tendrils of her hair to tickle his nose. "So I suppose you will be spending the night with me, then? What will the castle staff think?"

"They should know better than to gossip about their future queen," Sarah remarked, turning her head to leer at Jareth.

A chuckle rumbled in his chest, Sarah feeling the movement against her back. "You're getting the hang of this already, _my queen_ ," he said amorously, kissing her shoulder lightly.

" _Future_ queen," she corrected, laying her head back down on the fluffy feather down pillow. "And to answer your question, yes, I might as well just stay since I'm already here. I don't really know the way back to my room, anyway. In the morning you can just take me back to my apartment to get ready for our date and you can pick me up that night and whisk me off for a magical evening that _you_ have prepared for us."

"It will be magical indeed," Jareth agreed, tugging her body closer to his as they spooned. "Especially afterwards," he whispered lowly into her ear, his lips brushing against the lobe.

A shiver ran down Sarah's spine at the contact, but she contained herself. "I said the _third_ date, Goblin King."

"We shall see about that," Jareth said with another chuckle. He used his powers to dim the lights until the two were in complete darkness. After a few minutes, they were both sound asleep, Sarah clutching Jareth's arm wrapped around her waist, and Jareth breathing in the sweet scent of her skin, his face buried into the crook of her neck.

When morning came, Sarah found herself shivering and curling up into the blankets to find warmth. She blindly felt around the bed for her partner but came up empty handed. Upon opening her eyes, she found a familiar white ceiling above her. Propping herself up on her elbows, she looked around the room. Light shone through the curtain-less window across from her, illuminating her bedroom in her own apartment.

"Ugh," she groaned tiredly, falling back onto the nearly flat pillows. _It's so freezing in here. I should've kept the heater on. My electric bill would be through the roof but at least I would be warm…_ She curled into herself, bringing the covers up to her chin in an attempt to keep warm. She turned over onto her side, squinting against the light shining in from outside. A folded piece of paper sat on her bedside table, lifting slightly from not being folded flat enough. Sarah curiously reached out for it and brought it close to her face. She unfolded it and read the curly and formal handwriting written neatly on the inside.

 _Dear Sarah,_

 _I have transported you to your apartment in your sleep. I know how my mode of transportation makes you feel, and I don't want you feeling ill on our first date. I shall be picking you up at seven P.M. sharp. If you wish for Delia and Demetra to assist in your dressing, you have only but to wish. I shall be anxiously awaiting until I have you in my company again._

 _Love,_

 _Jareth_

Sarah couldn't help but snicker at the formality of the letter. "So corny," she said aloud, setting the letter back on the table. Instead of rousing from her sleepiness and starting the day, Sarah fell back onto the pillows once more and wrapped herself in the blankets. She stared up at the ceiling, her mind going blank.

This feeling troubled her. Instead of feeling giddiness or even nervousness for the date, Sarah felt…nothing. Her body felt like an empty pit—a husk with a human face. Instead of questioning herself or even trying to think of what that night might bring, her eyes began to close. Before she could determine why she was feeling this way, her mind just shut down; her eyes closed and she fell back asleep, curled up under the blankets in her cold apartment—alone.

* * *

 **I know, I know, it's been way too long since I updated. But what did I tell you guys? I'm not giving up! I can see the end just in the horizon! I hope you guys stick with me until then. This chapter was just really hard on me since my creative juices have been really lacking lately. But I have high hopes for the next one! As always, please leave a review and tell me what you think of this chapter and also yell at me for slacking off!**


End file.
